Sweet Silver Lining
by luvinoth1
Summary: “She’s dead Peyton!” Lucas shouted out to his wife. “Our daughter is dead!” “Then why do I keep seeing her?” Peyton yelled back. “Why?” Mainly LP, minor NH, Brulian. More information inside.
1. Someday

**Sweet Silver Lining**

Okay so this is another fic that takes place about…8 years after season 5. Lucas picked Peyton, the two got married and at this point in time…have two kids: a son, Jack, who is 6 and a 19-month-old daughter named Karen, who they call Kari. Their eldest child, a daughter named Sawyer, died two years prior at the age of 5. As for the other couples…Brooke & Julian are happily married and NH + J are all doing well. I think that's all you need to know right now so here's the first chapter! Oh and I know…I have like a million other fics that need to be updated but don't worry…they will be. Be on the look out for a new chapter of Reunion and Tears Are Not Enough. They're just about done and will be coming soon! – Jasmine

**Someday **

Peyton placed a heavy box down onto the floor in the empty living room and sighed. "Now why exactly is Julian not here helping you and I move him and you into your new house?"

Brooke sighed. "Because his flight got delayed and—"

Just then Brooke tripped and dropped the large box she had been carrying, scattering the box's contents, a bunch of photo albums, all over the floor.

"Great!" an agitated Brooke shouted as she bent down and began collecting the loose photos that now covered the ground. "It's going to take forever to put all these wedding photos back in place."

Peyton bent down and began helping her friend pick up the photos. "No it…"

The blonde let her voice trail off as she noticed a picture of her, Brooke, Haley and Sawyer all dolled up and smiley at Brooke's wedding reception.

Peyton stared long and hard at the blue-eyed mini version of herself and began growing teary-eyed.

Brooke, who had been busy putting the photos scattered around her back in place, glanced over at Peyton and saw the photo. She got up, walked over to Peyton and put her arms around the blonde.

"Peyton I—"

"She would have turned 7 this Saturday." Peyton said as she tried desperately to blink back her tears.

Brooke fixed her lips to speak but couldn't find the right words to ease her best friend's pain so she just comforted her silently, holding her and softly stroking her hair.

"Sawyer she...w—was so happy that she got t—to be the flower girl at your wedding." Peyton said sniffling. "She had…s—such a good time that day. And she looked….so b—beautiful."

Brooke nodded her head in agreement. "She did."

The brunette watched Peyton continue to stare at the photo for a long while before speaking again. "Peyton, are—"

"I'm fine Brooke." Peyton said interrupting. She stood up, walked over to Brooke's wedding album and placed the photo in her hand back in its place. "We…should really get the rest of these up."

Brooke slowly nodded and began helping Peyton collect photos from off the floor.

As Peyton absent mindedly picked up more pictures her eyes diverted to the photo of her, Brooke, Haley and Sawyer and she let her mind drift…

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Two Years Earlier…_

_Peyton gently knocked on her daughter's cracked door and entered. "Sawyer it's late. Why aren't you sleeping?"_

"_Because I'm not tired." Sawyer stated simply as she played around with the digital camera in her hands._

_Peyton walked over to Sawyer's bed and sat down. "You looking at pictures from the wedding?"_

_Sawyer nodded. "Yeah."_

_Peyton scooted closer next to her daughter and looked along with her._

"_Aunt Brooke looked really pretty." Sawyer said as she sifted through the many pictures in her camera._

"_She sure did." Peyton said, nodding her head in agreement. "And you my dear were the prettiest flower girl I have ever seen."_

_Sawyer smiled up at her mother. "And you were the prettiest maid of honor I have ever seen."_

_Peyton kissed her daughter's forehead and watched as the little girl continued to look through all the wedding pictures._

_Sawyer smiled brightly when she came across one of her, Peyton, Brooke and Haley. "I love this one of me, you, Aunt Brooke and Aunt Haley. It's one of my favorites." She held the camera up to her mother. _

_Peyton took it, stared long and hard at the picture on the digital screen and grinned. "I love this one too. Just me, my two best friends, and my favorite girl."_

_She then placed the digital camera on Sawyer's nightstand and began tickling her little girl, who began laughing incessantly._

"_Mommy, stop!" Sawyer yelled out. _

"_Alright, alright." Peyton said as she stopped tickling her daughter, fixed the covers around Sawyer and re-tucked her in bed. "But only if you shut your eyes and try to get some sleep. You'll regret it tomorrow when you're struggling to stay awake while all your friend's are here having fun at your birthday party!"_

"_I don't want that to happen!" Sawyer exclaimed as she snuggled underneath her covers, picked up the stuffed bear lying beside her and cuddled it in her arms. "But do you know something that I wish WOULD happen?"_

"_Now what is that?"_

"_I wish you and Daddy would have another baby."_

_Peyton smirked down at her daughter. "Is that so?"_

_Sawyer nodded. "Yeah, but it has to be a girl! I don't want another pain in the butt brother like Jack!"_

_Sawyer then stuck her tongue out at her little brother, who was standing by the doorway of her bedroom glaring and sticking his own tongue out at Sawyer._

_Peyton shook her head. "Jack, go to bed!"_

_Jack made a face at his mother. "How come you never yell at Sawyer like you yell at me?"_

"_Because I'm good and you're bad!" Sawyer yelled out as she sat up. "And because she likes me better than you!"_

_Peyton rolled her eyes in frustration and directed her attention toward her son. "I do not. I love you both the SAME! And the only reason I'm not yelling at Sawyer to get to bed is because she's already IN bed. So why don't you hop back in to yours and I'll be in your room in a minute to say goodnight."_

_Jack ignored Peyton and continued to make faces at his sister from the doorway until Lucas emerged from down the hall and scooped up his son. "Jack, enough. It's time for bed." He then headed off toward the little boy's room._

"_So can I PLEASE have a sister?" Sawyer asked, pouting her lips out. "Please?"_

"_We'll see." Peyton said as she leaned down and kissed her daughter on the cheek. _

_Sawyer sighed. "Okay." She then went to hug her mother. "Goodnight Mommy, I love you."_

"_I love you too Sawyer." Peyton said as she cradled her little girl closely. "I love you so much."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Later that night…_

"_You're not going to believe what Sawyer asked me for tonight." Peyton told her husband as she pulled the covers back in their bed and slid in beside him._

_Lucas placed the novel he had been reading on his nightstand and turned his attention to his wife. "What?"_

"_A sister."_

_Lucas chuckled and pulled Peyton closer to him. "And how badly did you want to tell her that just five months from now her wish would be coming true?"_

_Peyton smiled. "Real bad."_

"_Well I know you wanted to wait until you really started showing before we told Sawyer and Jack but now that you're in your second trimester, I don't think we need to keep the fact that you're pregnant a secret from them anymore."_

_Peyton nodded her head in agreement. "I don't think we need to either. I was toying with the idea of telling Sawyer at least tonight, but I knew that if I did she'd never go to sleep."_

"_She wouldn't."_

"_So I was thinking we tell her and Jack before Sawyer's party tomorrow." Peyton said as she got comfortable. " She's going to be so ecstatic. But as for Jack…well I hope he'll be excited too, but who knows with him."_

_Lucas shrugged. "Before we tell him we should feed him ice cream."_

_Peyton laughed. "I think that might be a good idea."_

_She then laid her head down on Lucas's chest and the two laid together for a long while in silence before Peyton finally spoke up. "I can't believe Sawyer turned five yesterday and that Jack's four. It seems like just yesterday they were both in diapers."_

"_I know." Lucas said as he adjusted his pillow. "I don't know where the time's gone."_

"_Neither do I." Peyton said as she stared deeply into her husband's eyes. "Neither do I."_

_Lucas yawned and stretched. "It's getting late. We should try and get some shut eye."_

_He took his hand, caressed Peyton's cheek and kissed her. "I love you."_

_Peyton smiled up at Lucas. "And I love you."_

_Lucas then leaned across Peyton and turned off her bedside lamp. He then turned his own off and the two closed their eyes and attempted to get some sleep._

_Just as Lucas had drifted into a deep sleep and Peyton had managed to doze off, the curly haired blonde was awakened by the pitter patter of little feet and tap on her shoulder._

_Peyton slowly opened up her eyes and saw Jack standing before her._

_She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Honey what's the matter? Did you have a bad dream?"_

"_Yes." Jack whispered out._

_Peyton nodded, pulled back the covers and Jack hopped in beside his mother. Within a few minutes they had both fallen back to sleep._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_Mama, wake up!"_

_Jack began tugging on Peyton's arm in an attempt to wake her up._

_Peyton's eyes slowly started to flutter open. "Jack what—"_

"_I think I smell smoke!" the little boy interrupted._

_Jack's words caused Peyton to really awaken. She immediately sat up, sniffed the air and looked at the door, where she saw smoke creeping into the bedroom. She then hopped out of bed and then lifted Jack out._

_Peyton then began pulling on Lucas's arm. "Luke, wake up! There's a fire!"_

_Lucas slowly awakened and sat up. "Peyton what are you shouting…"_

_He let his voice trail off as he caught whiff of the smoke and saw it entering into the bedroom from underneath the door. _

_Lucas immediately hopped out of the bed, ran over to the door and felt the knob. "It's hot!"_

_He hurried over to the window and tried to open it. "Dammit! It's stuck!" _

_He then pushed Peyton and Jack to the side and with all his might punched his hand trough the window, smashing it open. _

_Lucas cleared off the window sill, grabbed his robe from a near by chair, covered the sill with it and motioned for his wife to come over. "Peyton, you're gonna have to jump. It's not that far, you'll be fine."_

_Peyton nodded and dragged her son to the window. She let go of Jack's hand and Lucas helped her up onto the sill._

_She took a deep breath and then jumped, landing hard onto the ground._

"_Peyton, you alright?!" Lucas shouted down to his wife._

_Peyton nodded and quickly got up from off the grass. "Yes, now hand me Jack!"_

_Lucas picked his son up and lifted him up to the window and carefully, but hastily lowered him down. "I can't lower him anymore so when I drop him—"_

"_I'll catch him!" Peyton shouted, cutting him off. "Just do it!"_

_Lucas let Jack go and the little boy screamed as he fell into his mother's arms and the two collapsed onto the ground._

_Lucas leaned out the window and yelled out. "Peyton are you two okay?!"_

_She nodded. "Yes, but Luke what about Sawyer?! You—"_

"_I'm going to get her right now!" Lucas shouted back._

_He then hurried back to the bedroom door and placed his hand on the now piping hot knob. He knew that opening the door was a fire safety no-no, but he was determined to rescue his daughter. "There's no way I'm leaving this house without Sawyer!"_

_Lucas took in a deep breath and swung the door open._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_I'm scared Mama."_

_Peyton's eyes diverted from the window onto the son she had been absent-mindedly cradling in her arms. "It's okay Jack. We're…we're okay and Daddy and Sawyer are going to be okay too."_

_She held onto Jack tightly and made her way to the front of the house, where she came face to face with a few of her neighbors._

"_Honey, are you two alright?!" an elderly woman asked Peyton._

_The teary-eyed blonde nodded. "Yes but…Lucas a—and Sawyer…t—there still inside!" _

"_Well we called the fire department." another neighbor told Peyton. "They should be here any—"_

_His words were cut by the loud sirens of fire trucks coming from down the street and pulling up in front of the burning house._

_A bunch of firefighters came running from the truck and into the house to put the fire out while two ran over to the distraught blonde._

"_Is there anyone else—"_

"_My husband and daughter!" Peyton shouted out, interrupting. "Oh my God! Lucas! Sawyer!"_

_A few minutes later two other firefighters emerged from the house with Lucas who was trying with all his might to get back in._

"_Let me go!" Lucas yelled out as he tried desperately to break himself loose from the grasp of the firefighters. "I need to get my daughter! Sawyer!"_

"_They're going to get your daughter" one of the firefighters said to Lucas. "But you can't go back in the there. It's not safe."_

"_Sawyer!" Lucas shouted again, ignoring the firefighter's words and still trying to get back in the house._

"_Sawyer!" Peyton cried out as she cradled Jack in her arms. "S—Sawyer!"_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peyton's mind returned back to the present day and she instantly dropped the many photos in her hand and burst into tears.

Brooke immediately placed the photos in her hand on the floor and rushed over to her best friend's side.

"It's okay Peyton." Brooke said as she gently laid Peyton's head onto shoulder. "You can cry on my shoulder for as long as you need to."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Later that night at the Leyton home…_

"Mom can you read me my story?" Jack asked as he sat down next to his mother on the couch in the living room.

Peyton, who had been staring aimlessly at the wall as she absent mindedly cradled a sleeping Kari in her arms, said nothing.

"Mom…" Jack began, tapping Peyton on her shoulder in an attempt to get her attention. "Mom."

Peyton suddenly snapped back into reality and turned to Jack. "W—what is it?"

"I'm ready for you to read me my story."

Peyton sighed. "Jack, I know I said that I would read you your story tonight but—"

"You promised to read to me tonight." Jack said interrupting. "You promised."

Peyton nodded. "I know honey but I…" She let her voice trail off, shook her head and sighed.

It was at that moment Lucas, who had quietly emerged into the living room a few moments prior, walked over to his son and bent down to his eyelevel. "Jack how about I read you your story tonight?"

Jack glanced over at his mother who had redirected her attention to the wall. The boy sighed then looked over at his father. "Okay."

He got up and headed off toward his room.

Lucas sighed, stood up and looked down at his wife. "Peyt, are you—"

"I'm fine." Peyton said cutting him off and standing up. "But I…I n—need to clean up the…kitchen. So can you put Kari down for me?"

Lucas stared at Peyton for a long while before nodding and taking his young daughter from her and into his arms. "Sure."

He then watched as Peyton wiped away a tear from her eye and hurried out of the living room and into the kitchen.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Once Lucas had laid Kari down in her crib and read Jack his story he headed into the kitchen.

He found Peyton vigorously washing dishes at the sink and walked up to her. "Peyton, Brooke she…told me that—"

"I'm fine, ok?!" She said interrupting him. "I'm fine."

Lucas removed the glass from Peyton's hand, placed it into the sink and turned the faucet off.

"I'm not fine." Lucas said as he let the tears that had been welling up in his eyes fall down. "And I know you're not fine either and it's…o—okay not to be fine Peyton. It's okay."

Peyton burst into tears and buried her head into Lucas's chest. "She would've been seven this Saturday. S—she would've…b—been seven."

"I know." Lucas said as he cried into his wife's hair. "I know."

"I miss her Lucas." Peyton stuttered out. "I miss her so much."

Lucas nodded his head in agreement. "M—me too."

The stood crying softly together for a long while before Peyton spoke up. "I…I would give anything to…b—be able to see her again. To h—hold her one more time in my arms and tell her I love her."

"We w—will be reunited with Sawyer again someday Peyton." Lucas said to his wife. "S—someday."

Lucas held onto Peyton tightly and the two continued to cry together.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Four days later at a mall in Charlotte…_

"So what did you think of that band?" Haley asked as she placed her sidekick into her purse.

"I don't know." Peyton began, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. "They're good but—"

"Not great?"

Peyton nodded. "Exactly."

"I agree, they're definitely not great." Haley then stood up, grabbed her handbag and dropped a tip on the table. "I'm just going to run to the bathroom real quick and then we can leave."

"Okay." Peyton said as she took another sip of her coffee.

Haley then hurried off toward the bathroom, leaving Peyton alone at their table.

Peyton placed her iphone into her bag and continued sipping her coffee. She began staring aimlessly at the passerby's out of the café window.

She caught glimpse of a little blonde girl staring at a toy store window and sighed. Just then, the little girl turned around and when Peyton caught glimpse of the girl's face her own turned ghostly white.

"Oh my God…" Peyton whispered quietly to herself.

She grabbed her handbag and made her way out of the café so she could get a closer look at the little girl, but as soon as she got to the toy store she saw that the little girl was gone.

"Where could she have gone?" Peyton asked herself aloud as she looked around for her.

"Where could who have gone?"

Peyton turned to her left and noticed Haley standing beside her.

"Why did you run out of the café like that?"

Peyton opened up her mouth and began stuttering. "I…I t—thought I saw…"

"You thought you saw who?" Haley asked her friend.

Peyton continued to look around for a long while before eventually returning her gaze to Haley. "I thought I saw Sawyer."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Okay so…there it is. I hope you all liked this first chapter. If you do, I'll most certaintly keep writing. Anyways…two years earlier Lucas and Peyton's 5-year-old daughter died in a house fire…apparently not long after Brooke's wedding day…the day before her fifth birthday party and before she learned that her wish of having a little sister would indeed be coming true. How sad is that? How exactly Sawyer died in that fire and whether or not her body was recovered and all of that is unknown at this point. Okay now we jump to the present…two years later and though the Leyton family has probably accepted her death it's obviously a very difficult time for them as it's around the time of Sawyer's birthday/anniversary of her death. It's obvious that Peyton really only has one thing on her mind and that's Sawyer so is that the reason she thinks she sees her dead daughter while at that mall in Charlotte? Peyton is sure she saw a little blonde girl who was the spitting image of Sawyer staring into a toy store window, but did she? What did Peyton see? Was it a mere look-alike? An unknown twin, perhaps, or a near identical stranger? A figment of her imagination? Something she just conjured up in her head? Did she see her daughter's ghost? Or did she see maybe see Sawyer? Hmm…I don't know! I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out! Please review with your thoughts/predictions. Oh and here are some previews for next time!**

**Next time…**

**Haley and Brooke express their worries over Peyton with each other**

**Peyton is plagued by unfamiliar dreams of Sawyer**


	2. 11:11 PM

**11:11 P.M**

A/N: Here's the next chapter. Its SOOO long and took me forever to write so I hope you all like it. Oh and thank you to all those who reviewed...it's helpful to me as a writer to see how you guys are thinking so I greatly appreciate all of your comments! - Jasmine

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Later that afternoon..._

"Come in!" Brooke shouted out from her spot on the living room couch. "The door's unlocked!"

The door slowly creaked open and Haley emerged.

Brooke, who had been busy looking at some fabrics, looked up and smiled. "Hey Tutor Mom, what's going on?"

"Nothing much." Haley said as she plopped down next to Brooke on the sofa. "I was just in the neighborhood so I thought I'd stop by."

Brooke nodded. "Well I'm glad you did. Julian's not going to be back until tomorrow morning so I could really use the company."

Haley looked down at the material that Brooke had been sifting through and picked up some blue fabric. "Is this the material you're going to use to make Jack's Yankee Doodle costume with?"

Brooke nodded, picked up her sketchpad and passed it over to Haley. "What do you think?"

Haley smiled down at the costume sketch. "It's great. Jack's going to look so adorable. All of his little classmates are going to look adorable in their costumes that you made for his little school play."

"But no one's going to look cuter than Jack." Brooke said as she took the sketchpad back from Haley. "I can't wait to see him in his costume when I'm finished. And I can't wait to see Peyton's face when she sees him in it. She's going to love it."

Haley slowly nodded. "Yeah speaking of Peyton..."

"What is it?" Brooke asked, slightly worriedly.

Haley sighed. "Well we went to Charlotte earlier to check out a band and before heading home we decided to swing by the mall out there to do some shopping...have lunch at the little café we both love and ..."

"And?"

"Well right after we finished eating I went to the bathroom real quick and when I came out I saw Peyton like...frantically running out of the café in search of a little girl she said she thought was Sawyer."

Brooke's eyes widened. "She...really thought she saw Sawyer?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah."

Brooke shook her head and sighed. "That's...not good."

"It's not." Haley said agreeing. "It worries me...a lot."

"Do you think she's going to tell Lucas about it?"

Haley shrugged. "I don't know, but he...he really NEEDS to know so...if Peyton doesn't end up telling him about what she...thought she saw and what's going on in that of hers soon then I will because it's really not healthy for her to be thinking she's seeing Sawyer when...when she knows that she's...dead."

"It isn't." Brooke said concurring. "It really isn't."

Brooke and Haley sat together for a long while in silence before returning their attention back onto Brooke's sketch and Jack's costume material.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Peyton looked lovingly at the heart-shaped locket with an S on it in her hands.

She sniffled, opened it up and traced her finger over the small lock of blonde hair that lied inside of it. She then closed it, shut her eyes and held the locket close to her heart.

Just then Kari, with a Dr. Seuss book in her hands, came scurrying out of her room and over to her mother on the couch. She held the book up to Peyton, who didn't seem to notice her.

"Mama."

Peyton said nothing.

Jack then walked into the living room from his own bedroom. "Mom, are you ready to help me with my lines for the play?"

Once again Peyton said nothing.

A now very impatient Kari screamed out. "MAMA!"

Peyton snapped out of her trance and directed her attention toward the kids. "What is it?"

"I need you to help with my lines for Yankee Doodle and I think Kari wants you to read to her."

Kari again held her book up to Peyton.

Peyton ran a hand through her messy locks and sighed. "Kari, mama will read to you later, okay?"

The toddler frowned and slowly made her way back to her bedroom.

"What about me? Are you going to help me?"

Peyton sighed again. "Jack, can't...you have your Dad run lines with you when he gets home?"

"But you told me that you would." Jack retorted.

"I know I did but..."

"But what?"

"I can't, okay?!" Peyton said getting up from her spot on the couch. "I just...can't do it. Not right now. I can't..." She then left her son alone in the living room and headed into the kitchen.

A very disappointed Jack slowly walked back to his room and plopped down on his bed. He sat their for a long while in silence before Kari scampered in with her Dr. Seuss book and held it up to him.

Jack sighed, hopped off, picked Kari up, sat her down on his bed and took a seat next to her.

His little sister handed him the book, which he opened and began reading. "The time has come. The time has come. The time is now. Just go! Go! Go! I don't care how. You can go by foot. You can go by..."

He pointed to a picture and Kari yelled out. "Cow!"

Jack nodded and resumed reading. "But Marvin K. Mooney, will you please-"

"Go now!" Kari shouted excitedly.

Jack continued. "You can go on skates. You can go on skis. You can go in a hat. But please go, please..."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Later that evening..._

Lucas opened up the door to his home and entered inside, with a pizza in his hand. "Hey everyone, I'm home and I brought us a pizza for dinner!"

Lucas got no response. "That's strange." He whispered to himself.

He headed into the kitchen, placed the pizza box down on the counter and headed toward Kari's room. He poked his head inside and found his daughter fast asleep in her crib.

Not wanting to wake her, he quietly tiptoed out of her bedroom, gently closed the door behind him and made his way to Jack's room.

He knocked, opened up the door and found his son lying on his bed coloring.

"Jack didn't you hear me? I brought a pizza home, don't want you some?"

The little boy kept his gaze fixated on his coloring book and shook his head no. "I'm not hungry."

"You sure?"

Jack nodded as he grabbed an orange crayon and placed his blue one back in the box.

"Well then do you want me to run lines with you for the play or did mom already help you?"

"She didn't." Jack responded, somewhat coldly. "All she's really done today was sleep. She's actually STILL asleep."

Lucas sighed. "I'm sorry bud. But if you want I can help you."

Jack shook his head. "I'm not in the mood. I just want to color."

Lucas slowly nodded. "Okay."

He stood watching Jack for a minute before eventually exiting the boy's room and heading into his own.

He found a red-faced Peyton fast asleep, curled up and clutching the locket around her neck. Lucas stared long and hard at Peyton and sighed. He then gently closed the door and exited the room.

Lucas then made his way back into the kitchen.

He pulled out a seat at the kitchen table and sat down. He then sighed and began staring aimlessly at the wall.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Later that night..._

A restless Peyton tossed and turned in bed as she dreamed...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Sawyer, with a bunch of wild flowers in her hand, ran over to Peyton. "I picked these for you Mama." She then presented the flowers to her mother._

_"They're beautiful." Peyton said admiring the bouquet. She then sniffed them. "And they smell so wonderful."_

_Peyton picked her little girl up from off the grass and hugged her tightly. "Thank you for the flowers rockstar."_

_"You're welcome."_

_Peyton then set Sawyer down, took her daughter's left hand into her right and the two walked off together toward the porch swing by a large oak tree._

_Peyton sat down on the swing, lifted Sawyer onto her lap, and cradled the girl in her arms. "My little star...I love you so much, you know that?"_

_Sawyer nodded. "And I love you Mama."_

_Mother and daughter sat quietly together for a long while before Peyton finally spoke up. "How about we listen to some old school tunes?"_

_Sawyer smiled brightly and nodded._

_Peyton leaned down, grabbed a couple of records from off the grass and began sifting through them. "Okay we've got The Beatles, Van Morrison-"_

_"Van Morrison!" Sawyer shouted out. "Brown Eyed Girl."_

_"You got it."_

_Peyton leaned over to her right, where the record player stood on a stand, and put on the Van Morrison record. The yard soon filled with music and Peyton began singing to Sawyer._

_"And whatever happened...to Tuesday and so slow. Going down the old mine with a...transistor radio. Standing in the sunlight laughing. Hiding behind a rainbow's wall. Slipping and sliding...all along the waterfall with you...my brown eyed girl. You...my brown eyed girl..."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peyton stirred and slowly awakened.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. She glanced over at a sleeping Lucas and then began shaking her head.

"I never sang Van Morrison to Sawyer." Peyton whispered very quietly to herself. "And that's because I don't like him."

She let her voice trail off and thought for a moment before speaking again. "I...I never called her my little star either. Me calling Sawyer that and singing Brown Eyed Girl to her...n-none of those things ever happened. So...why did I dream it?"

Peyton sat staring aimlessly off into the dark for a long while before eventually laying her head back on her pillow.

She wiped away a tear that had fallen down her face, took in a deep breath and closed her eyes...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_"Mama, help me!" _

_Sawyer began kicking her legs and swinging her arms violently around in an attempt to stay afloat in the raging river. "HELP ME!"_

_Sawyer fought with all her might to keep from sinking, but failed and the violent currents overtook the little girl, submerging her underneath the water._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peyton popped up and cried out. "NOOOOO!"

Her screams caused Lucas to awaken and he immediately sat up and looked over at his wife. "Peyton, are you alright?!"

Peyton looked over at Lucas, shook her head and burst into tears.

He turned on his bedside lamp and embraced his wife. "Honey, talk to me. What's going on? What's the matter?"

Peyton wiped her face, took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I-I had a...b-bad dream. A nightmare."

Lucas slowly nodded. "Was it...about Sawyer?"

"Yeah."

She sighed and ran a hand through her messy locks. "Sawyer she...she drowned. She was begging f-for me to save her but I couldn't. It was like I was watching her drown on a tv screen or something. I-I could see her but..."

Peyton let her voice trail off for a minute before continuing. "But I...couldn't save her."

Lucas blinked back the tears that had been welling up in his eyes. "Peyton-"

"I thought I saw Sawyer." Peyton said interrupting. "Earlier today...when I was at the mall with Haley in Charlotte. I swore I saw her. I...I DID see her."

Lucas opened up his mouth a little in shock at his wife's declaration, but said nothing.

Peyton sighed. "And now you think I'm crazy."

Lucas shook his head. "I...I don't think you're crazy."

"But you CLEARLY don't think I saw her either." Peyton said as she removed herself from her husband's embrace and got up from off their bed.

Lucas pondered for a long while before speaking. "I think that...you might have seen a little girl who...maybe looked a little bit like Sawyer and-"

"No!" Peyton said cutting him off. "I didn't see a little girl who looked LIKE our daughter. I saw a little girl who from where I stood staring looked EXACTLY like our daughter!"

Lucas sighed. "But Peyton...you...you do realize that this girl you saw...no matter how much she looked like Sawyer, couldn't actually be Sawyer. Because Sawyer...she's dead. She is dead."

Peyton stood silently in place for a minute before sitting back down on the bed. "Is she?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow and eyed his wife curiously. "W-what do you mean is she?"

Peyton remained quiet for a long while before responding. "I...I know that I didn't imagine seeing her at the mall today. And I know that I didn't mistake some other little girl for her."

She paused momentarily and then continued. "I saw Sawyer...m-my little mini me...standing in front of a toy store window and the only way that would be possible is if Sawyer had never died!"

Lucas shook his head in frustration and began yelling. "W-we sat up in that hospital room with Sawyer for four days straight! We were there when she went into cardiac arrest! We were there when ...they put her on life support! We were by her bedside when the doctors told us that she was brain dead! We..."

He let his voice trail off for a minute as he let the tears that had been welling up in his eyes pour down his face. "We decided TOGETHER to take her off of life support and TOGETHER we sat, holding Sawyer's hand, and watched as her doctors took out her breathing tube and cut off her machines and on May 21st Sunday night at 11:11 pm she went! SHE WAS GONE!"

"But what if it wasn't her?!" Peyton exclaimed. "What if the little girl we watched die wasn't Sawyer?!"

"WHO ELSE COULD IT HAVE BEEN PEYTON?!" Lucas shouted out. "Sawyer she...she was burned...beyond recognition and covered nearly head to toe in bandages but it was her! What other little girl would the firefighters have pulled out from OUR burning house!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Peyton cried out. "But they must have pulled someone else out because I saw Sawyer! I SAW HER! So maybe the fire was set intentionally by someone so they could take her and-"

"STOP IT!" Lucas shouted, cutting him off. "I CANNOT keep listening to you talk like this!"

"Talk like what?!" Peyton asked yelling. "Talking like Sawyer could still be alive when she might very well be?!"

"She's not!" Lucas shouted out again. "And I can't listen to you entertain the idea any longer!"

Peyton shook her head and bawled out hysterically. "I-I can't believe that YOU don't want to believe that Sawyer could still be alive!"

Lucas hopped up from off the bed and stood in front of Peyton. "Peyton, I LOVED and still LOVE Sawyer with all my heart! I think about her ALL THE TIME! When I see Kari get mad and crinkle up her nose like Sawyer used to do...when I see other little girls with their fathers and find myself wondering what Sawyer would be like if she were here today....wondering who she would have grown up to be and wondering what it would've been like to have been able to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day! How maybe if when I went to buy our smoke detector I had grabbed the box on the left instead of the defective one on the right that maybe Sawyer would be alive and with all of us right now!"

Peyton sighed. "Luke-"

"There is not a DAY that goes by where I don't think about our daughter and wish she were here but the one thing I can't sit around here and do is hear you talk about how she might still be! I CAN'T GO THERE!"

"WHY?!"

"Because I can't run away from what is! I can't keep wanting and wishing for something that I KNOW I can't have! That my brain is telling me is impossible and what I feel in my heart just isn't true! It hurts...TOO MUCH to do that!"

Peyton sniffled and wiped her nose. "Y-you really believe in you're heart that...Sawyer's dead?"

Lucas rubbed his red, teary eyes and slowly nodded. "I do. And I know...deep down in your heart that you do too."

Peyton closed her eyes, grabbed a hold of the heart shaped locked around her neck and let her mind drift...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_"It's time."_

_A red-eyed Lucas took in a deep breath, looked up at the doctor and nodded. _

_He then turned his attention back onto Sawyer, took his right hand into hers, kissed it and whispered quietly. "I love you baby. I love you...s-so much and I will always love you. You...w-will always be my little girl."_

_A tear-stricken Peyton, who was sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the bed, stared lovingly at Sawyer, picked up her daughter's left hand and said to her quietly. "On the day that you were born I told you that I was going to love you forever and I am. I am going to love you forever Sawyer Scott. Forever and ever."_

_She then kissed her little hand and brought it up to her chest._

_The attending doctor nodded over at his two interns. One began taking out Sawyer's breathing tube while the other disconnected her from the heart bypass machine and respirator. _

_Once they were done the two stepped away and joined the head doctor in a corner by the door._

_Sawyer's vitals remained steady for a minute before slowly diminishing and eventually stopping all together, causing her heart monitor to flat line and brining both Lucas and Peyton to tears._

_The head doctor turned his attention to the auburn haired intern to his left. "Call it."_

_She sighed and looked down at her watch. "Time of death 11:__11p.m.__"_

_The brown haired intern walked up to the heart monitor machine, cut it off and then he, along with his co-intern and attending exited the room._

_Lucas buried his face into his hands and sobbed while Peyton laid her head down on Sawyer's chest and cried uncontrollably._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peyton placed her hands on her heart and began hysterically crying. "Sawyer she...s-she's gone. Our baby is gone and she can n-never going to come...back to us. She's never coming back."

Lucas hastily wiped away his own tears, sat down next to Peyton, held her and whispered into her ear. "She's not. She's not."

Peyton rubbed her eyes and laid her head down on Lucas's shoulder and the couple sat up like that together into the wee hours of the night.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_The next day. Evening time. Naley house..._

Lucas, with Jack by his side, knocked gently on the front door of the house and entered. "Hales?"

"I'm in the kitchen!"

Jack scurried off toward the kitchen with Lucas following not too far behind.

"Hi Aunt Haley."

Haley bent down to Jack's eyelevel and hugged him. "And how's my favorite nephew doing today?"

"Okay." Jack said quietly as he let go of his aunt and sniffed the air. "Do I smell cookies?"

Haley chuckled. "Yes you do."

She then walked over to the stove, grabbed two oatmeal raisin cookies from off a baking pan and handed it to Jack. "Here you go buddy."

"Thank you."

Jack then took a bite of one of the cookies. "These are good."

"Well I'm glad you like them." Haley said smiling. "Now can you do me favor and go upstairs and tell Jamie it's time to go?"

Jack nodded, brushed passed his father and headed out of the kitchen and toward the stairs.

"So is Nathan ready for the big game seven against Cleveland?" Lucas asked as plopped down in a chair at the kitchen table.

"Oh yeah." Haley said as she picked up a cookie and took a bite. "Especially after hearing LeBron smash talking on SportsCenter a couple of nights ago."

Lucas slowly nodded, but said nothing.

"Peyton's still coming tonight, right?" Haley asked as she finished up her cookie.

"Yeah but with Brooke. The two of them went up to the outlets in Raleigh and are just going to meet us at the arena."

The kitchen momentarily filled with silence before Haley spoke again. "Luke, I know that you and Peyton have been going through a lot of stuff and...you know that Nathan would understand if you two didn't want to-"

Lucas put his hand up. "No tonight's game will be a nice, much needed distraction for us."

He paused for a moment and then continued. "I think our argument last night about her seeing Sawyer and my words...really hurt her, but she needed to hear it and I think that now that she has the two of us can go back to...regaining that closure."

Haley slowly nodded her head in understanding.

Just then Jamie and Jack ran into the kitchen from upstairs.

Jamie grabbed a few cookies from off the baking pan. "Let's go I don't want to be late!"

He handed one to Jack and the two hurried off toward the front door.

"We better get going." Lucas said, chuckling softly at the boys' enthusiasm.

He got up from his chair and he and Haley made their way to the front door and together the four exited the house.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_A little while later in __Charlotte__..._

"So Julian really couldn't get out of his meeting?" Peyton asked as she slammed the passenger side door shut.

Brooke shook her head. "He tried, but no. He still might come, but if he does it won't be until after halftime."

Peyton nodded and the two of them made their way into the arena and began walking toward their section.

"Has Lucas called you?" Brooke asked as she stopped walking and began looking around for something in her purse. "Him, Haley, Jamie and Jack should be here by now."

"They are." Peyton said as she stood silently reading to herself the text Lucas had just sent her. She then placed it in her handbag. "He just sent me a text saying that they're all here and sitting down."

Brooke nodded, pulled out her lip gloss, and applied it to her lips and the two quietly continued to make their way toward their seating area.

After walking for a few minutes in absolute silence Brooke glanced over at the blonde. "You and Luke...you're okay, right? I mean...that shouting match you had the other-"

"Was something that needed to happen." Peyton said cutting her off.

She paused for a moment and took in a deep breath before speaking again. "I...know that I couldn't have actually seen SAWYER. And I know that it's not healthy for me to be...thinking that she might still be alive somehow because...because I know that she's dead. I feel that void in my heart everyday...an emptiness that's never going to be filled but hopefully in time...will be a little bit easier to live with."

Brooke gave her a friend a sympathetic nodded, took her hand into hers and squeezed it. "I'm always here for you P. Sawyer. Always. So whenever you need me..."

"I'll let you know." Peyton said quietly as she gave Brooke a half-hearted smile.

The two best friends continued walking toward the section, reaching it a few minutes later. It only took a minute for them to catch sight of Lucas, Haley and the boys and they made their way over to them.

"Hey guys." Brooke said as she plopped down in a seat next to Jack. She picked him up and sat him down on her lap. "And how's my boyfriend doing today?"

"Okay."

"You ready to watch your Uncle Nathan kick some butt tonight?"

Jack nodded and then directed his attention to the players warming up out on the court.

Brooke smiled down at him and began chatting with Haley.

Peyton slowly made her way over to Lucas and sat down next to him. She gave him a small smile, caressed his cheek and gave him a quick kiss.

Lucas smiled softly, took Peyton's hand into his and the two directed their attention to the basketball court.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_"This has been one heck of a game" one of the sports commentators said into his microphone to his co-commentator, Charles Barkley._

_Barkley nodded his head. "That it has. Both LeBron James and Nathan Scott have been playing some exceptional basketball...James with 34 points 10 rebounds and Scott with 27 points and 12 assists. Both of those guys have been on fire tonight."_

_"And even though __Cleveland__ is up by two with just sixteen seconds left in the fourth I think it could be anyone's game."_

_"Most definitely." Barkley chimed in. He then focused his attention onto the court as the game was about to resume._

"Come on Dad!" Jamie shouted out from his spot in the stands. "You can do it!"

Once the Bobcat's time out was over Nathan and four of his teammates walked back onto the court where LeBron and his Cleveland team were waiting for them.

One of the three refs handed the ball off to Boris Diaw and blew the whistle.

_"Sixteen seconds left on the clock. Diaw with the ball, looking to inbound it. He dishes it off to Raja __Bell__ who makes an overhead pass to Scott across court. Twelve seconds now left on the clock...James on Scott who has the ball..."_

Nathan dribbles back and forth in front of LeBron and with only five seconds left on the clock dribbles passed him and just before the buzzer goes off Nathan steps behind the arc and shoots a three.

_"Scott for the win..."_

The basket swishes into the net, confetti falls onto the court and the crowd goes crazy.

_"Nathan Scott hits the three and for the first time ever the Charlotte Bobcats are this year's Eastern Conference champions and they will be playing the Western Conference champs, the Los Angeles Lakers, in this years NBA finals!"_

"THEY WON!" Jamie exclaimed loudly to his mother. "AND DAD WON IT FOR THEM! WOOHOOO!"

Jack was clapping wildly and screamed out excitedly to Lucas. "Did you see Uncle Nathan hit that shot Dad?! Did you see him?!"

"Of course I did!" Lucas said as he lifted his young son up into his arms. "WAY TO GO NATE!"

Brooke turned to Peyton and hugged her. "They won!"

"I know!" Peyton yelled out excitedly. "This is great! I'm so happy for Nathan!"

Brooke, Lucas, Haley, Jamie and Jack continued to clap, watch the commotion on the court and talk game while Peyton looked up at the replay monitor hoping to catch Nathan's game winning shot again but instead saw that the screen was showing some excited Bobcat fans celebrating.

Just as she was about to redirect her attention to the court Peyton caught glimpse of a handsome, young brown-haired man with a happy little blonde girl, in an oversized Nathan Scott jersey, clapping and cheering on top of his shoulders.

Peyton's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she quickly realized this was the same little blonde girl standing at the toy store window at the mall a day earlier. The same one she swore had been Sawyer.

Peyton ripped her eyes away from the screen and let her mind wander back to the days when she would watch Sawyer, in her own oversized Scott jersey, cheering loudly for her Uncle Nathan from atop of Lucas's shoulders.

Her thoughts quickly returned back to the present day and she immediately looked back up at the monitor but saw that it was now showing game highlights.

Peyton's face turned pale and Brooke took notice. "Peyton, are you okay?"

The blonde slowly nodded. "Yeah I'm fine I'm just...hot is all. I'm going to go...get a little air. I'll...b-be right back."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Lucas asked his wife.

Peyton shook her head. "No, I'll be right back."

Lucas nodded and moved over to let Peyton scoot pass him, which she did. She then made her way out of the section and hurriedly headed off toward the restroom area.

She walked into the empty restroom, over to one of the sinks, stared into the mirror and began repeating to herself over and over again, "Sawyer is dead. Sawyer is dead. Sawyer is dead..."

She then let her voice trail off and stopped talking for a minute before speaking again. "But if she's dead then why do I see her?! Why am I seeing her?!"

Peyton closed her eyes and began breathing heavily. "S-something...strange is going on and I...I n-need to figure out why I keep seeing my dead daughter..."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**So there it is! I really hope you all liked it! So...Peyton was sure she saw Sawyer at the mall in ****Charlotte****. And because she's so shocked by what she's seen Sawyer is the only thing that's on her mind. She's all Peyton's thinking about and she completely brushed Jack and Kari to the side without even a second thought. I have a funny feeling that's not going to be the only time she does that. Anyways...she then goes to bed and has these strange dreams about Sawyer. The first one's strange because...it never happened. Why would Peyton refer to Sawyer as her little star when she never did and sing, of all Van Morrison songs, Brown Eyed Girl, to her when doesn't even like him? Why is Peyton dreaming false memories? And why in Peyton's second dream did she see Sawyer drowning when she died in a fire? Hmmm. Well anyways, Peyton becomes hysterical and Lucas wakes up and she tells him about the mall incident and how she thought she saw Sawyer. Peyton is sure that Lucas probably thinks she's crazy, but he tells her that he doesn't but that he also knows that she didn't actually see Sawyer because Sawyer's dead and how they watched her die. Peyton then starts talking about how maybe they didn't...maybe the severely burned little girl the firefighters pulled out was someone else and that the fire itself might have been set as a cover for some elaborate scheme so someone could take Sawyer without anyone suspecting anything; basically Peyton thinks that maybe Sawyer could still be alive. Lucas gets upset and tells her to stop talking like that because it hurts too much for him to hear her talk about something that he knows in his head isn't possible and feels in his heart isn't true and tells Peyton that deep down in her heart she knows it isn't true either and that Sawyer IS really dead. This leads Peyton to drift back to the night that the doctors took Sawyer off life support and her and Luke held her hand and watched her go. Peyton's thoughts return back to the present, she places her hand on her heart and breaks down as she realizes that Lucas is right and that...like him her heart is telling her that Sawyer is gone. That was a very emotional scene and really hard on the both of them but something that Peyton especially needed to hear. She knows that...while she might've seen a little girl who looked a little like Sawyer it couldn't have actually been Sawyer because she's dead. It really looked like Peyton was starting to regain that closure she had. But then while at Nathan's basketball game she sees the same little blonde girl she swore was Sawyer on top of some guy's shoulder cheering for the Bobcats in a Nathan Scott jersey. Peyton exits the stands and heads into the restroom where she flips her shit a bit. If Sawyer's dead, then why does Peyton keep seeing her? Is she seeing her? What is going on? Hmm...all I'm going to say is expect the unexpected and to try and remember that I rarely ever include unnecessary scenes. Everything means something. Including my choice of chapter titles. So since I took the time to write you guys such a long chapter, I would really, really appreciate a review. So please leave one with your thoughts/predictions! I love hearing what you all are thinking! - Jasmine**

**Still to come...**

**Peyton secretly attempts to find the Sawyer look-alike**

**Jack grows increasingly upset with his mother due to her lack of attention to him**


	3. This Used to Be My Playground

**This Used to Be My Playground **

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you all like it! - Jasmine

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_"Where am I?" Peyton wondered aloud, her vision being clouded by a thick fog. "I can't see anything."_

_She got up from the bench she had been sitting on and, in an attempt to figure out where she was, began walking around in the fog._

_Peyton squinted with her eyes and noticed something far in the distance. "Is that a...slide?"_

_She made her way over to what she thought was a slide and discovered that she was correct. "So this is a slide..."_

_Peyton let her voice trail off as she stared and admired the beautiful red slide. She then spotted what looked like a swing set and headed over to it._

_Peyton sat down on a swing and gripped the chains. "I must be in a playground."_

_She closed her eyes and gently rocked back and forth on the swing. Just then, Peyton heard what sounded like laughter coming from behind her._

_She opened her eyes, turned around and from afar saw the giggly little blonde girl spinning around._

_"That's her." Peyton whispered to herself. _

_She instantly hopped off the swing and just when she was about to reach the little girl she vanished into thin air._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peyton stirred and slowly opened up her eyes.

She sat up, turned to her left and saw that Lucas was up and out of bed already. She then laid her head back down and began staring aimlessly at her bedroom wall.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"You have to eat fast, okay?" Lucas told his son as he poured milk into his cereal. "You can't be late for your play practice and I CANNOT be late for my meeting with my new editor."

"Ok, I'll hurry." Jack said as he took a sip of his orange juice. He then began shoveling spoon fulls of cinnamon toast crunch into his mouth.

Lucas placed the milk back into the fridge and headed into the living room. He yawned, lied down on the couch and closed his eyes.

Just then Kari came running into the living room from her bedroom.

She walked over to her father on the couch and climbed on top of him. "Dada."

Lucas slowly opened up his left eye. "Kari, how'd you get out of your crib? Did you climb out?"

Kari nodded her little head up and down.

Lucas lifted his daughter into the air and looked up at her. "But you're not supposed to climb out. You're supposed to sit in your crib and wail your head off until someone comes and gets you."

Kari shook her head. "No baby!" She then began playing with one of the buttons on her father's shirt.

"Is that so?"

She nodded again.

Lucas sighed and stared deeply into Kari's green eyes. "Well you will always be MY baby so promise me you'll never get too big, okay?"

Kari grinned. "Kay!"

Lucas smiled and kissed his daughter on the forehead. "I love you."

"Love you!" Kari kissed her father on his forehead.

Lucas tossed Kari into the air a few times and then started to tickle her, causing the little girl to burst into laughter. He eventually stopped, got up off the couch with Kari and headed back toward the kitchen.

"Jack, you finished?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah." He quickly took one more big spoonful of cereal, hopped out of his chair and placed his bowl in the sink.

"Okay hurry up and put your sneakers on."

Lucas exited the kitchen with Kari in his arms, headed toward his bedroom and knocked gently on the cracked door. "Honey, you have to-"

"I'm awake." Peyton said as she slowly sat up, slid out of the bed and walked over to her husband.

"She climbed out of her crib this morning." Lucas told her as he handed Kari over to Peyton. "So we need to think about getting her bed or one of those tent things you put on the crib."

"Okay." Peyton said as she shifted Kari onto her right hip. "You off to basketball practice?"

"No, I have my meeting first and then practice." Lucas checked the time on his watch. "Alright Jack needs to get to his play rehearsal and I need to get going so-"

"Am I picking Jack up today or-"

"No he has a play date with his little 'girlfriend' Emma so her mom is picking the both of them up and they're going to hang out for a little while and she'll bring him home later."

Peyton nodded. "Okay."

Lucas leaned in and gave his wife a kiss. "I'll call you later."

He kissed Kari on the cheek. "Bye princess."

Kari waved bye to her father and watched him exit the bedroom and head down the hall.

"Jack, I'll be in the car!" Lucas shouted out to his son.

Jack quickly put on his left sneaker and, after fumbling around with the laces for a minute, was finally able to tie it.

He picked up his right sneaker, tied it, stood up and ran out of the kitchen and into his parents' bedroom.

"Bye mom!"

Jack stood staring at his mother, waiting for a response, but Peyton, who had sat Kari down on her bed and had begun absent-mindedly brushing her hair in front of the mirror didn't seem to hear him and said nothing.

Jack frowned and then turned his attention to his little sister. "Bye Kari."

"Bye-bye Jack." Kari said quietly, waving her little hand goodbye at her brother.

Jack waved bye and slowly exited the room.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Peyton sat Kari down in her playpen in the living room. "I'll feed you breakfast in a minute, okay?"

Kari nodded her little head as she sipped juice from her sippy cup.

Peyton sighed and made her way over toward the couch, sat down and began sifting through a box next to her.

She slowly picked up a raggedy old blanket and started to get teary-eyed. "Sawyer's blanky..."

Peyton held onto the blanket for a long while before placing it back into the box. She then pulled out a framed family portrait drawing Sawyer had done and smiled softly at it.

Peyton stared at the picture for a long while before carefully setting it back into the box. She was about to reach for Sawyer's bear when she heard the teapot whistling so she quickly got up and headed into the kitchen and toward the stove.

Meanwhile Kari, having had enough her drink, tossed her sippy cup to the corner of her playpen. She stood up, poked her head over the top of pen and saw Sawyer's bear sticking out of the box on the couch.

Kari's eyes lit up and she tried her very best to climb out of the playpen.

She succeeded, made her way over to the box, pulled the bear out, clutched it and smiled. "Mine!"

A few minutes later Peyton emerged back into the living room from the kitchen.

Her jaw dropped in shock when she saw Kari out of her playpen, playing with Sawyer's bear and she immediately ran over to the little girl and took the bear from her.

Kari looked up into her mother's eyes, burst into tears and tried to grab the bear back from Peyton.

"Honey, I'm sorry but...you can't play with Sawyer's bear." Peyton placed the bear back into the box and put the box on a nearby stand out of her young daughter's reach. "Mama will buy you your own bear, okay?"

Kari just continued to sob hysterically.

Peyton picked up a stuffed puppy dog from Kari's playpen and handed it to the little girl. "How about you play with your puppy?"

Kari took the stuffed animal, but didn't stop crying.

Peyton sighed, scooped Kari up into her arms and headed into the kitchen. She placed the crying tot in her high chair, picked up a bowl of cut up bananas from off the table and placed it in front of Kari. "I cut up some bananas for you...you're favorite. Don't you want some?"

Kari picked up one of the pieces of banana and threw it at her mother.

Peyton sighed. "Kari, I know that you're mad at me but I know you're hungry so please don't throw you're food at me. Eat it."

Kari continued to cry for a little while long before eventually tiring herself and stopping. She sniffled, took her free hand and wiped her eyes. She then slowly picked up a piece of banana and popped it into her mouth.

Peyton stood watching Kari for a minute before momentarily stepping out of the kitchen and heading off into Lucas's office to grab the laptop.

She re-entered into the kitchen, sat down at the table and placed the opened laptop in front of her.

"I have to find this playground." Peyton said to herself aloud as she googled 'parks in Charlotte, NC' and began looking through the many searches that had popped up under google images.

It only took Peyton a couple of minutes to find the red slide from her dreams. "There it is. At Rosemont Park."

Peyton closed the laptop and began staring off into space. "I have to go to there. She's going to be at the playground, I know it."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Charlotte__..._

Peyton shifted Kari onto her left hip, hit the lock button on her car keys and walked toward the playground entrance.

Kari's eyes lit up when she saw a little yellow pony spring rider. She pointed to it and shouted out to her mother. "Mama!"

Instead of bringing her to the pony, Peyton put Kari on a baby swing and gently pushed her as she looked around the playground, hoping to see the mysterious little blonde girl.

Kari seemed extremely displeased. She looked up at her mother. "Mama, down." She pointed to the pony again, but Peyton left her in the swing and continued to push her.

Kari gave up trying to get her mother's attention and instead crossed her arms and began angrily mumbling to herself.

"She has to be here." Peyton said to herself quietly as she continued to scan the extremely crowded playground. She momentarily closed her eyes, placed her hand on her heart and became very overwhelmed with emotion.

Peyton slowly opened up her eyes and it was at that exact moment that she saw the happy and giggly Sawyer look-alike sliding down the same red slide she had seen in her dreams.

She covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my God, it's her!"

Peyton watched the little girl as she hopped off the slide, bend down and tie her loose shoelace.

Once she finished tying her shoe she stood up and caught glimpse of Peyton staring at her from afar.

The little girl's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. She briefly shifted her gaze onto Kari in the baby swing and then relocked eyes with Peyton. She shook her head, rubbed her eyes, opened them back up and resumed staring.

"She recognizes me..."

Just then a giggly redheaded, freckled face girl came running up to the little blonde and whispered something into her ear, causing the Sawyer look-alike to burst into the laughter.

The redheaded girl ran off and, after taking one last look at Peyton, the little blonde ran off behind her.

"No! Why is she running away!?"

Peyton began rummaging through her purse for her camera phone. Once she found it, she quickly scooped Kari up out of the swing and began running in the same direction as the look-alike, but the little girl was no where to be found.

"Where did she go..." Peyton wondered aloud.

She stopped moving and sighed. "She's gone."

Peyton shook her head in disappointment and slowly made her way back toward the baby swing. She bent down and picked up Kari's left shoe, which had fallen off when Peyton hastily lifted the toddler out of the swing, and headed off out the front exit and toward her car.

Peyton opened up the back seat and placed Kari into her car seat. Just as she was about to start to buckle her in, Peyton heard laughter coming from nearby.

She looked around and saw the Sawyer look-alike, along with her little redheaded friend, getting into a black SUV just a couple of cars ahead of her own, with the same handsome brown-haired man she had seen at Nathan's basketball game.

Peyton returned her attention to Kari and quickly began buckling her little one into the seat, but struggled as Kari kept fidgeting.

"Kari!" Peyton yelled out harshly. "Sit still!"

Kari immediately stopped moving and Peyton quickly buckled her in and slammed the backdoor shut.

She ran over to the driver's side door, looked up and saw that the SUV was gone, causing Peyton to burst into tears and collapse onto the roof of her car.

"She recognized me! That HAD to be Sawyer!" Peyton closed her eyes and sighed. "But if it was her then...why did she just run off like that? And who the HELL is that guy with her?!"

Peyton dried up her tears, swung open her car door, and hopped in.

"I need to figure out if Sawyer's really buried in that grave." Peyton said to herself as she started up the car. "And I will."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Music studio..._

Kari looked up at her mother and tugged on her shirt sleeve. "Mama."

Peyton let go of the mouse and directed her attention onto the little girl on her lap. "Kari I know you've had a long day and want to go home and we will soon, okay? I just have to check something out on my computer here real quick and then we'll leave."

She picked up her daughter's stuffed dog from off top of her purse and handed it to her. "Play with Sammy."

Peyton returned her attention to the computer screen in front of her and shook her head. "Lucas he's...never going to agree to exhume her body and...there's no way I can get that done without him knowing. Even if I could, if he were to ever find out later..."

She let her voice trail off and began playing with the locket around her neck. Just then, a light bulb popped into her head. "The hair in the locket. After Sawyer died the nurse she...she gave me a lock of her hair."

Peyton held onto Kari with her left arm and typed away with her right hand. "I can do parental testing. I can have the hair from the locket compared to mine and that will tell me if the girl in the grave is Sawyer or not."

Peyton stopped typing and scanned the page of a diagnostic center in nearby Wilmington. "I don't want to get caught doing this so it's probably best I go out of town."

She continued to look at the screen for a long while before eventually slamming the laptop shut when she heard someone approaching the studio door.

"Hey Peyton." Mia said as she entered into the studio. "I didn't know you were going to be coming in today."

"I wasn't." Peyton admitted as she got up from her desk seat. "But then I remembered that I uh...had left some important papers here that needed to be faxed out TODAY so I came in to take care of that and..."

Her speech came to a screeching halt after catching a whiff of Kari's smelly diaper. "Looks like someone needs to be changed."

Peyton grabbed her bag from off the floor. "I'll be right back."

Mia nodded and watched as Peyton exited the room and headed off toward the bathroom to change Kari.

Mia whipped her cell out and sent Chase a quick text. She then walked over to Peyton's desk and plopped down in front of her laptop. "I'm sure Peyton won't mind if I check my email."

The brunette opened up the laptop and eyed the screen curiously. "Parental DNA testing. W-why in the world would Peyton be looking at this unless she..."

Mia let her voice trail, sat up, slammed the laptop shut and started walking off toward the door just as Peyton and Kari had emerged back into the studio from the bathroom. "You just got here and you're leaving?"

Mia nodded. "Yeah umm...Chase called and he...needs me to help him with something so I need to...leave. I'll call you later."

Peyton nodded, but eyed Mia curiously. "Okay."

Mia feigned a smile, waved bye to Kari and jetted out of the studio.

Peyton stood still for a moment, turned her attention onto the laptop on the desk and sighed. "I pray to God that Chase really did need her help and that she didn't look at my computer..."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"You two are finally home." Lucas said to his wife as he took Kari into his arms. "Where have you been?"

Peyton closed the front door behind her and stepped inside. "Everywhere...the park, studio...uh shopping, errands."

"Well you came home just in time. Brooke finished up all the play costumes and Jack and Emma are going to give us a little preview of Yankee Doodle."

Peyton followed Lucas into the living room, where Brooke and Emma's mother, Mrs. Chang, sat on the couch waiting for the kids to come out.

"Was that Mom who just came in?!" Jack yelled out from his bedroom.

"Yes!" Lucas shouted out as he and Peyton plopped down on the couch. "So come out whenever you guys are ready!"

A few minutes later Emma, dressed in a sparkly green and silver liberty costume, entered into the living room. She walked over to an end table, hit the play button on the CD player, and lovely patriotic music emerged from the speakers.

Emma pointed down the hall and shouted. "Look! It's my Yankee Doodle Boy!"

Jack then came marching out in a dazzling red, white and blue costume and started singing. _"I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy!"_

_"A Yankee Doodle do or die!"_ Emma sang out.

_"A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam...born on the fourth of July. I've got a Yankee Doodle..."_

Jack momentarily let his voice trail off as he bent down in front of Emma, removed his hat, took Emma's right hand into his and kissed it. _"Sweetheart. She's my Yankee Doodle joy!"_

Jack quickly glanced at his mother, who appeared to be in deep thought, and saw that she was only watching half-heatedly. His mother's disinterest saddened him and he fought hard to blink back his tears as he placed his hat back on his head and stood up.

Him and Emma started to do a little dance as they both sang out together. _"Yankee Doodle went to town, a-riding on a pony!"_

Jack pointed to himself and smiled as best he could._ "I am that Yankee Doodle Boy!"_

"You guys were great!" Lucas said as he hit the stop button on the player and he, along with Brooke, Mrs. Chang and Peyton, all stood smiling and clapping.

"Amazing!" Brooke and Mrs. Chang shouted in unison.

"You sure were." a smiley Peyton chimed in.

Jack sighed and slowly nodded his head. "Well I better take my costume off now."

He turned his attention to Emma. "I'll see ya later." Jack then headed off toward his bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

All the adults looked around at each other in bewilderment.

"I wonder what's wrong." Lucas said aloud as he made his way down the hall to his son's room. He knocked gently on the door. "Jack, you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Jack shouted out as he wiped the tears that had fallen down his face. "I'm just tired!"

Lucas sighed. "Okay...I guess I'll leave you alone then..." He then slowly walked off down the hall and back toward the living room.

Meanwhile in the bedroom, Jack laid down on his bed, gripping his pillow and the let the tears fall from his eyes. "She...wasn't even really watching. It's like she...d-didn't even care..."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Later that night..._

A restless Peyton tossed and turned in bed...

_"I'm back at the playground." Peyton whispered to herself as she looked around the foggy playground that she had dreamed of before and took a seat on a swing. "But I don't see her anywhere this time."_

_Peyton gently rocked back and forth on the swing for a long while before finally spotting the Sawyer look-alike, with her head down, walking in her direction from a distance._

_"She's heading over here!" Peyton said as she hopped off the swing and started walking up to the little girl._

_Once the two met each other, Peyton smiled, bent down to the little girl's eyelevel and lifted up her chin to get a good look at her. It was at that moment she came to a startling realization and stepped back._

_"Y-you can't b-be Sawyer..." Peyton stuttered out. "Because...you're...you're ME."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peyton opened her eyes and popped up. "That...that little girl was...me."

She looked over at a sleeping Lucas beside her and scratched her head in confusion. "But that doesn't make any sense. Today...was the first day I've ever been to that playground. At least...I think it was."

Peyton paused momentarily before continuing. "Or...maybe it wasn't but if it's not...then why don't I have any memory of being there?"

Peyton sat up thinking for a little while longer before eventually laying her head back down on her pillow and drifting back off to sleep.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Okay so I hope you all liked this chapter! Anyways...a lot happened. Peyton had a dream where she was at a playground and it was in this dream that she (thought) she spotted Sawyer/look-alike/doppelganger/ghost, whatever you want to call her. She does some searching online and discovers this playground, with the beautiful red slide, is at a park in ****Charlotte**** and she decides to head down there, hoping to see the little girl. Peyton does end up seeing the look-alike at the park and the look-alike spots her as well and stares at Peyton in shock. Peyton is sure that the little one recognizes her, yet the look-alike eventually runs off laughing with her little redhead friend. Peyton tries to chase after, but can't find her. Peyton sees her again, getting into an black SUV with her friend and, once again, the handsome brown-haired man. She tries to hurry getting Kari into her car seat so she can follow them but is too slow and they drive off before Peyton can even start up her. So what do you think is going on? Do you think the Sawyer look-alike really recognized Peyton? If she did, then why did she walk off? Maybe she was staring at Peyton because Peyton was staring at her? I don't know. Anyways...Peyton ends up deciding once and for all that she needs to figure out if Sawyer is really buried in that grave or not so, knowing that Lucas would never want to exhume her, she decides to get a DNA test done behind his back using the hair in the locket and looks the process up online at her computer at the studio. Mia comes in and, when Peyton steps out for a minute, hops on the comp. to check her email and sees the DNA parentage testing stuff. It appears as though Mia is going to jump to some bad conclusions. Do you think she'll keep the information to herself or tell someone about it? Haley, perhaps? Who knows. It's also important to note in this chapter how Peyton, though I'm sure is freaking out about being the only to have seen her supposedly dead daughter, isn't being all that attentive to Jack and Kari, her two children who are most definitely very much alive and seeking her attention. Peyton dragged Kari to the playground and didn't let her play on the little pony she was eyeing. She also took Sawyer's bear from her earlier too, which is KIND of understandable that she didn't want her to play with it but still...And then poor Jack...Peyton totally ignored him this morning and wasn't even really paying much attention to him when he and Emma did their little snippet of Yankee Doodle in the living room. Jack was so crushed! Peyton loves Jack and Kari just as much as Sawyer and is just a little preoocupied, for good reasons but still...she needs to start paying more attention the kids who are here. Oh and lastly but most certainly not least Peyton has the playground dream again and this time she actually comes face to face with the little blonde girl only then realizing that it isn't the look-alike/ghost but her; the seven-year-old her. You all get that right? Peyton felt compelled to go to the playground after seeing the little girl playing there in a dream and when she goes to the park she does actually see the look-alike but in the dream it turns out it wasn't the look-alike she was seeing but herself. So...what the heck does that mean? Peyton doesn't remember ever playing at that playground, but maybe she did? And does that fit in with everything? Hmm...I don't know! Please review with your thoughts/predictions! - Jasmine**


	4. Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self

**Conversations With My 13-Year-Old Self **

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you all like it! – Jasmine

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_The next morning – __Wilmington__Hospital__…_

"Stupid migraine." Peyton said to herself as she rubbed her temples. She sighed, popped an ibuprofen in her mouth, and took a sip from her water bottle.

"Peyton Scott?"

Upon hearing her name, Peyton quickly hopped up from off her chair and walked over to the medical laboratory technician's desk.

"How can I help you today Mrs. Scott?"

Peyton reached into her purse, pulled out two baggies and placed them in front of the technician. "I need to find out whether or not A is the mother of B."

The lab technician picked up baggie B and examined the hair sample. "This is all the hair you could collect from B?"

"Is that not enough?" Peyton asked worriedly.

He pondered for a moment before responding. "Eh it should be fine." He then placed the baggie down and began jotting some notes.

Peyton stared at the tech peculiarly. "Aren't you even the slightest bit curios as to why I want this test done?"

"Not really." the young man replied honestly. "And since I don't get paid to ask, why bother?"

Peyton slowly nodded. "So when will I be able to get the results?"

"They should be ready anywhere between 48-72 hours."

"I have to wait 2-3 days?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why so long?"

"Maybe because you're not the only DNA test that needs to be conducted and no one will be able to get to yours until tomorrow…at the very earliest."

Peyton sighed. "Are you sure there's no way I can get those results today?"

He smirked. "Well…there is one way…"

Peyton stared long and hard into his devious eyes. She then looked around and after making sure that no one was around, reached her hand into her handbag, grabbed a few bills from her pocket and laid the money down on the desk.

The lab tech smiled and pocketed the money. "I'll have those results for you by the end of the day. Just fill out the contact information form and I'll call you as soon as they're ready."

Peyton rolled her eyes and plastered a fake smile on her face. "Thanks."

He handed her a pen and a contact information sheet and Peyton began filling out the paper work as quickly as she could.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Peyton's Music Studio_

"That sounded great Mia." Haley said, clapping. "I think the song sounds so much better on piano as appose to the guitar."

Mia sighed, but nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah I think so too."

"Is something the matter?" Haley asked, looking concerned. "Did you and Chase have a fight?"

Mia shook her head no. "No, Chase and I are fine I'm just…a little worried about a friend is all."

"Would this friend happen to be Peyton?"

Mia eyed her curiously. "Yeah, how'd you—"

"Just a lucky guess." Haley said interrupting. "So why exactly are you worried about Peyton?"

Mia sighed. "Well yesterday when I stopped over I found Peyton here with Kari, doing some work on the computer. At least I thought she was."

"She wasn't?"

"No." Mia paused for a moment and then continued. "You see when she stepped out for a minute to change Kari, I…hopped on Peyton's laptop to check my email, which I might add she lets me do all the time, and I saw that she had been searching DNA parental testing."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Mia nodded. "Yeah."

Haley sighed. "Don't tell me you're thinking that—"

"Well why else would she be looking up information on it?"

Haley pondered long and hard before shaking her head. "I have no idea, but you and I both know that Peyton would NEVER cheat on Lucas and that Jack and Kari are his kids. So there has to be…some logical, reasonable explanation for why she would be looking up such information."

"Yeah, but WHAT?"

Haley shook her head in bewilderment. "I…don't know. I don't know."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Playground – __Charlotte_

Peyton sat down on an empty park bench, pulled out a book and pretended to read, though really secretly scanning the playground.

"Have you seen her yet?"

Peyton glanced to her left and her jaw dropped when she caught sight of the young teen sitting beside her.

She shook her head, rubbed her eyes, opened them and there still sat the green eyed, dirty blonde girl.

"What's the matter Peyton?"

Peyton looked around and, only after making sure no one was watching her, responded. "What's the matter? What's the matter is that I must be losing it! Why else would I be sitting here talking to myself?!"

"But lots of people talk to themselves."

"But normal people don't actually SEE themselves when they're doing it!"

"But who's to say that's true?" the teenage Peyton asked her. "It's not like there exists a clear definition of what constitutes normalcy."

Peyton ignored her comment and redirected her attention to the book in front of her.

"You never answered my question." teenaged Peyton said as she scooted closer to Peyton. "Have you seen the little girl you think might be Sawyer?"

Peyton began repeating to herself over and over again. "You are not real. You are not real. You…are…not…real."

"But you see me, don't you?"

"Yes but—"

"So if YOU see me, than I am real. I'm real to you."

Peyton eyed her younger self curiously. She shook her head. "Stop talking to me."

"Why?"

"Because you're NOT REAL!" Peyton yelled out. "And because now you're giving me a headache!"

Peyton then placed her book beside her and reached into her handbag for another ibuprofen. She popped the pill into her mouth and took a swig of water from her water bottle.

"That pill isn't going to make me go away." the girl said to Peyton. "It will, temporarily, but I'll be back. You won't be able to get rid of me that easily."

And just like that young Peyton was gone, vanishing into thin air.

Peyton sighed. "I know that she wasn't real yet…I could still see her. Does that mean that…I imagined that little girl too?"

She pondered long hard before shaking her head. "No, I saw her. That…that little is not a figment of my imagination. I know she's not…"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Later that evening in Tree Hill – Elementary School Auditorium _

"Luke!"

Lucas turned to his left and saw Brooke and Julian walking over to him and Kari.

"Hey." Brooke said as she took a seat down next to Lucas. Kari reached for and Brooke took the little into her arms. "So tell me…how excited is Jack?"

"Very excited." Lucas said, pausing a moment to yawn. "But it is the opening night of his first ever school play so…though he's excited he's also really nervous."

"He'll do great." Julian said, taking a seat next to Brooke and placing his phone into his pocket.

"Peyton's not here yet?" Brooke asked, as she absent-mindedly played with Kari's golden blonde locks.

"Not yet."

"Why didn't you two come together?" Julian asked.

"She had a lot of errands to run and thought it'd be easier if she just met me here." Lucas glanced down at his watch. "She really should be here by now though."

Lucas whipped out his cell and called his wife, just as Haley walked into the auditorium. She quickly spotted Lucas, Brooke, Julian and Kari and walked over to them.

"Hey…" Haley said to everyone, quietly, seeing that Lucas was making a call. She took a seat beside him and directed her attention to Brooke. "Where's Peyton?"

"He's trying to find out right now." Brooke said to her.

Just then Lucas flipped his phone shut. "I got her voicemail. I wonder why she didn't answer and what's taking her so long to get here?"

"Don't worry." Brooke reassured. "I'm sure she'll be here soon.

"Yeah, you're right." Lucas said as he placed his phone into his pocket. "She's probably just a couple of minutes away."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Café - __Charlotte__Mall__…_

"Maybe I'll have better luck at the mall." Peyton whispered. She took a sip of her coffee and stared out the window beside her, hoping to catch a glimpse of the look-a-like.

"Still haven't seen her, huh?"

Peyton slowly turned her head and, once again, came face to face with her thirteen-year-old self.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because."

"Because why?" Peyton asked, growing even more irritated. "It's not like I want you around."

"It doesn't matter whether or not you want me around." the teenage Peyton said to her sternly. "Wishing me a way isn't going to MAKE me go away."

Peyton shook her head, threw a tip onto the table and got up from her booth. "I'm out of here." She then headed for the exit.

Young Peyton immediately got up and followed right behind her. "Where are we going?"

Peyton threw her arms up into the air in aggravation, but tried her best to ignore her teenage self and began walking around the mall in search of the Sawyer look-alike.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_A little later that night, Tree Hill - Leyton House _

Brooke sighed. "Is he asleep?"

Lucas sighed and slowly nodded. "Yeah, he finally cried himself to sleep." He shook his head in anger. "I CANNOT believe that Peyton didn't show up to his play?! HOW COULD SHE MISS HIS PLAY?!"

"Are you really sure she just forgot about the play?" Julian asked. "Maybe something happened and—"

"Nothing happened." Lucas said, pulling out his cell and tossing it onto the kitchen table. "She called during the end of the play and left me a voicemail saying she'd be home late and asking if I could make dinner so nothing happened to Peyton…she didn't remember!"

Lucas got up from his chair at the table and began pacing around. "How could she do that to him?! What could have been more important to her than seeing Jack star in his first play?!"

Haley eyed Lucas and bit her lip. "Luke, there's something I should probably tell you about."

"What?" a curious Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.

Haley took in a deep breath. "Well earlier today Mia told me how yesterday, when she went to go check her email on Peyton's laptop while at the studio, she noticed that Peyton had been searching…DNA parental testing."

Lucas's eyes widened. "Are you…serious?"

Haley slowly nodded. "Yeah. I'm not sure if…that is the reason she didn't show up tonight but…"

Lucas shook his head and exited the kitchen. He quickly returned, with Peyton's laptop in his hands, placed it down onto the table, opened it up, logged in and opened up her main browser.

"Now Luke, don't jump to conclusions." Haley told her friend.

Brooke nodded her head in agreement. "Haley's right. You know that Jack and Kari are your kids. They look and act JUST like you. There has to be another reason that Peyton was looking up such information."

"There is." an angry Lucas said, shaking his head.

"What did you find?" Julian asked, taking a look at the screen.

"Before doing a search on DNA testing, she did one on exhuming."

Brooke's jaw dropped in shock. "Luke, you don't think that Peyton—"

"Somehow went behind my back and exhumed our dead daughter's body to see whether or not it's really her?! Yeah I do!" He slammed his fist down on the table. "I don't know why she can't just accept the fact that Sawyer is dead and let our little girl rest in peace!"

Lucas sighed, went back to the previous page, saw that Peyton had searched DNA parental testing on a website of a hospital and Wilmington, and slammed the laptop shut.

"Can one of you guys please stay with the kids?" Lucas asked as he grabbed his car keys from off the kitchen counter.

"Of course, but where are you going?"

"Wilmington. If she got a test done today, like I know she did, she got it done there!"

Lucas hurried out of the kitchen, headed toward his front door and exited his house.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"The results are ready?" Peyton asked into her cell. "Okay I'll be there soon to pick them up."

She ended the call, hopped onto the highway and tossed her iphone into the passenger's seat.

"Cool phone."

Peyton sighed and glanced over to her right. "You're really annoying, you know that?"

"Well I guess that makes you annoying too."

Peyton rolled her eyes, looked over her shoulder and switched lanes. "I was never that annoying at 13."

Young Peyton laughed. "So you think."

Peyton took in a deep breath and tried her best to stay focused on the road, while once again repeating to herself. "You are not real. You are not real. You are not real…"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Wilmington__ – Hospital_

"Here you go." the medical lab tech handed Peyton a sealed envelope.

"Thanks."

Peyton stood in place, tightly holding onto the results in her hands, for a long while before finally walking away from the tech's desk and toward the exit.

Peyton stepped outside and stared into the nighttime sky. She then took in a deep breath and just as she was about to rip the envelope open her eyes caught glimpse of a figure walking toward her.

She squinted and her jaw dropped upon realizing that it was her husband. "Lucas w—what are you…doing here?"

"I think a better question would be what are you doing here?!" Lucas yelled out.

Peyton started to stutter. "I…I—"

"How could you go behind my back and exhume our daughter from her grave?! How could you?!"

She sighed. "I didn't but…I did take the lock of hair from my locket and…got it tested, along with a sample of mine so…so I could find out if…the little girl we buried was really Sawyer or someone else."

Lucas threw up his arms in aggravation. "So that's why you missed Jack's play!? Because you were too busy getting a DNA test and chasing after imaginary little girls!?"

Peyton shook her head. "No she's…oh my God! Jack's play! I missed his play!"

"That's right Peyton." Lucas stated matter-of-factly. "You missed our son's first ever school play!"

Peyton wiped a tear from her eye. "He must hate me…"

"No…" Lucas began, shaking his head. 'He doesn't hate you. He's too DEVASTATED to hate you!"

Tears poured down Peyton's cheeks. "You don't have to keep yelling at me, okay?! I feel horrible enough as it is!"

"Well you should feel horrible." Lucas stated coldly. "You should feel horrible about putting a figment of your imagination before your son!"

Peyton shook her head. "That little girl…she's not a figment of my imagination Lucas! She's real!"

"Maybe she is!" Lucas shouted out, though not all that convinced. "But she is NOT Sawyer!"

"But if it's not Sawyer then who is it Lucas?! We know it's not possible for Sawyer to have a long lost twin so it has to be her! Why else would I be seeing a little girl that looks just like her?!"

Lucas shook his head. "I couldn't tell you! But this ghost, look-alike, doppelganger that you 'think' you're seeing…is not Sawyer because Sawyer is DEAD! SHE IS DEAD!"

"But Lucas—"

"But do you know who isn't dead?!" Lucas yelled out, interrupting. "Jack is not dead! Kari is not dead! They love you and they need you to be there for them! And not some half-assed version of you but the mother you were before Sawyer died and the mother you were FINALLY starting to return back to BEFORE all this craziness started!"

"I'm not crazy Lucas." Peyton said, though not all that confidently. "I…I s—saw our little girl. I know I did."

Lucas stared down at the results in Peyton's hand. "Well why don't you open that up and find out?"

Peyton wiped her eyes, took in a deep breath, looked down at the manila envelope and slowly, and shakily, tore it open, pulled out the results and read them to herself.

"So what does it say?"

Peyton dropped the results onto the ground, looked up at her husband and began sobbing uncontrollably. "It says she's my daughter! Oh my God, she's really dead!"

Lucas sighed. "Peyt—"

"But I saw her Lucas!" a devastated Peyton shouted out. "I'm not crazy! She…she has to be real! Why else would I see a little girl that looks so much like Sawyer if it isn't really her?! Why?!"

Peyton started to hyperventilate and became extremely lightheaded.

Lucas walked up to his wife and took her into his arms. "Honey, breathe. You gotta breathe."

Peyton tried, but couldn't find her breath.

"It's okay Peyton." her young self said to her, emerging seemingly from thin air. "Don't fight it."

Peyton slowly nodded and passed out into Lucas's arms.

"Peyton! Oh my God Peyton!"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_A couple of hours later…_

Peyton slowly opened up her eyes and saw her husband standing by the doorway of her hospital room. "Lucas…"

Lucas immediately rushed over to his wife's bedside. "You're finally awake." He took her left hand into his and kissed it. "You had me so worried."

"W—what happened?" she asked groggily.

"You…had a panic attack."

She sat up, rubbed her temples and sighed. "Right after I found out that…our daughter…our little Sawyer…really is dead."

Lucas slowly nodded. "Yeah."

The hospital room soon filled with silence. A few minutes later two doctors walked into the room.

"You're awake." the black haired female doctor, Dr. Reed, said to Peyton. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay." Peyton told her. She sighed. "So now that I'm awake I can check out, right?"

Dr. Reed glanced over at her colleague, Dr. Peterson, and then redirected her attention back onto Peyton. "Not yet. We need to run some more tests."

"But my husband just told me that all I had was a panic attack. That's what I had, isn't it?"

Dr. Reed nodded. "Yes. I ran numerous tests and scans on you which all confirmed that you did indeed have a panic attack."

"So if you know she had a panic attack why do you need to run more tests on her?" Lucas asked curiously.

Dr. Peterson spoke up and directed his attention toward Peyton. "Because Dr. Reed here noticed something…off…on one of the CT scans of your head. Since I specialize in neurology and she specializes mainly in general surgery, she asked me to take a look at it and I found that your scan showed an…abnormal growth of cells in the brain."

"W—what do you mean by an abnormal growth?" Lucas asked, looking very concerned.

"I have...a brain tumor, don't I?" she asked, tears slowly falling from her eyes down her cheeks.

Dr. Peterson, as well as the young teenaged Peyton, who had seemingly emerged next to him from out of nowhere, both slowly nodded their heads and said in unison. "Yes you do."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Okay so there it is! So Peyton went and got the DNA test done and spent the entire day, once again, looking for the look-alike. She was so preoccupied that she ended up missing Jack's school play, much to Lucas's dismay and Jack's obviously sense Lucas said the poor kid was crying and just absolutely devastated. Though she knew that the teen she was seeing, her thirteen-year-old self, wasn't real but was certain that the little girl she had been seeing was real. But how could she be so sure what's real and what isn't? Especially since she now knows that Sawyer is really dead. And now it's been revealed that the reason she's at the very least been seeing teen Peyton is because she has a brain tumor (i.e. the headaches; also, remember when teen Peyton said those pills can't get her to go away permanently?). Now how serious is Peyton's brain tumor? Is it cancerous or non-cancerous? Operable or inoperable? Life threatening or non-life threatening? A tumor in the brain could cause personality changes, behavioral changes, delirium…hallucinations and many other things. It's obvious that Peyton's a little delirious and has been having at least some hallucinations. But is everything she has been seeing lately (i.e. the little girl) a hallucination as well? Or could she somehow still be real…even though she's not Sawyer? If she is real, who could she be? I saw that someone said they think his story is predictable. Well I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve still and think it's way too early to make that assumption, as my story is only in its fourth chapter, but if a lot of you feel that way and think this story is crap than I'll stop it and move on to something else. Let me know. – Jasmine **


	5. We Are Family

**We Are Family**

A/N: Okay so had originally wrote this chapter with the one that succeed this, but ultimately decided that it was a little long and that if I broke it up into two smaller ones the story would flow better. So that's what I did. Anyways, I hope you all like this update! - Jasmine

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"So if you know she had a panic attack why do you need to run more tests on her?"

Dr. Peterson spoke up and directed his attention toward Peyton. "Because Dr. Reed here noticed something…off…on one of the CT scans of your head. Since I specialize in neurology, she asked me to take a look at it and I found that your scan showed an…abnormal growth of cells in the brain."

"W—what do you mean by an abnormal growth?" Lucas asked, looking very concerned.

Peyton took in a deep breath and slowly let the tears that were building up in her eyes fall down onto her cheeks. "I…have a brain tumor, don't I?"

Dr. Peterson, as well as the young teenaged Peyton, who had seemingly emerged next to him from out of nowhere, both slowly nodded their heads and said in unison. "Yes you do." She then vanished into thin air.

Peyton closed her eyes and remained silent while tears began welling up in Lucas's eyes and just as he was about to fix his mouth to say something, Dr. Peterson put his hand up and responded to the question he knew was coming.

"It's not cancerous; the tumor is benign."

Peyton's eyes popped open. "Did…you really just say what I think you said?"

Dr. Peterson slowly nodded his head and repeated himself. "Yes. Your tumor is benign."

Both Lucas and Peyton sighed in relief and Lucas whispered underneath his breath. "Thank God." He took his wife's hand into his own and kissed it.

"So…w—what exactly…do I have?" Peyton asked as she laid her head back down.

"A slow growing, small to medium sized pituitary adenoma located near the skull base. But I still have to run more tests to determine what type of pituitary adenoma it is and whether or not it's a hormone secreting tumor."

He cleared his throat and then continued. "Unlike benign tumors in other parts of the body, benign brain tumors, depending on the size and location, can still be serious as they could press against certain nerves in the brain; ones that control movement, vision, hearing, personality, and numerous other functions and could cause a lot of irreversible damage. Luckily pituitary adenomas are the most common and least life-threatening of all types of benign brain tumors and the prognosis is very good."

Peyton sighed in relief once again.

"How are these tumors typically treated?" Lucas asked.

"A number of different ways." Dr. Peterson said as he readjusted his glasses. "The tumor can be reduced using radiation and chemotherapy or removed surgically."

The doctor redirected his attention to Peyton. "It's not very large and is located in an operable area so surgery and surgery alone, I believe will be a great option for you."

Peyton sighed and slowly nodded. "So…you'd have to…open up head, huh?"

Dr. Peterson shook his head. "The tumor would be removed using endoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive procedure that is conducted through the nasal cavity."

"You could remove the tumor through her…nose?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dr. Peterson nodded. "Yes. And like I said, the procedure is minimally invasive. A hospital stay of no more than two days, no scarring, and a full, speedy recovery taking no more than 3 weeks which is nothing considering the recovery period for the alternative, a craniotomy, can take up to 8 weeks."

Peyton shook her head in disbelief. "This is all…so surreal. I feel…fine. I never would have guessed in a million years that I'd have…a brain tumor."

"Most people are very surprised when they're diagnosed with a pituitary adenoma." Dr. Peterson told her. "They're usually asymptomatic, only occasionally causing things such as headaches, vision impairment, delirium—"

"Delirium?" Peyton asked, interrupting.

"Yes delirium…disorientation, memory impairment…hallucinations. Have you been experiencing any of those symptoms?"

Peyton briefly glanced over at Lucas and then redirected her attention toward the doctor. "Yeah…those and headaches I suppose."

Dr. Peterson nodded. "I can prescribe you some medication that should help."

He walked over to Dr. Reed, whispered something into her ear and she nodded and left the room.

"I'll let the two of you have a minute, but then I'm going to need to start running some more tests. Now I want you to stay overnight for observation but tomorrow, after we've discussed the results and the surgery in more detail, you'll be free to go."

Peyton nodded. "Okay."

Dr. Peterson gave her a small smile and then made his way toward the door and exited.

Peyton took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "So that's it. The tumor…made me see her. A TUMOR." She sighed and grew teary-eyed.

Lucas pulled his chair closer to his wife, took his free hand and caressed her cheek. "But a very treatable tumor. You're going to be fine, you hear me?"

"The tumor…is not the reason that I'm crying right now." Peyton began, taking a moment to wipe away the tears welling up in her eyes. "It's not that reason."

Lucas sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. "I know honey, I know."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Peyton sat up; wide awake in her empty, dark hospital room, staring off into space and when a flash of light and her younger self appeared before her, she hardly seemed to notice.

Peyton's younger teen self sat down on the bed beside Peyton. "I can see that…you seeing this little girl has…really revealed a wound you thought had healed but in actuality hasn't, am I right?"

Peyton glanced over at the girl, but said nothing.

Young Peyton sighed. "After Sawyer died you…you cried your eyes out for her…for months and months but I…I've never seen you…get angry. But you're angry now, aren't you?"

An obviously heated Peyton stared long and hard into her younger self's green eyes before eventually speaking. "Sawyer was supposed to start kindergarten that September and she was so excited about going. But she never got to go. She will NEVER go. And I'm never going to see her graduate from elementary school, middle school and high school. I will never get to throw Sawyer a sweet sixteen party, teach her how to drive. I will never hear her tell me about her first love or…help mend that heart of hers when that first love or another breaks it. I'm never going to…send her off to college or see her make something of herself. I will never see…Sawyer…in a gorgeous white gown, with her beautiful blonde hair all done up…walk down the aisle on her wedding day and watch her marry the man of her dreams…"

Peyton let her voice trail off for a minute and then continued on. "I'm not going to…be able to hold her babies in my arms I…I will never be able to do ANY of those things! Because Sawyer…she is officially DEAD! My innocent little girl died a HORRIFIC death! So am I angry?! YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I'M ANGRY!"

She then pulled a blanket off of her, hopped out of the bed and walked over to a window.

"And you blame God for what happened to Sawyer?" her younger self asked.

"You bet I do!" Peyton yelled out. "I mean, where was 'He'? Where was 'God' when my 5-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WAS BURNING ALIVE IN HER BEDROOM AND NEEDED SAVING?! WHERE THE HELL WAS HE?!"

"Protecting Jack…" the teen began as she made her way over to the window where Peyton stood. "Lucas…you and the baby."

"Well why couldn't He save Sawyer too?! YOU TELL ME WHY!"

"Because it was her time."

"It was her TIME?!" Peyton asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sawyer JUST turned five! She never really even got to experience life! How could it possibly have been her time?!"

"It doesn't seem to make much sense for Sawyer's time to have come when it did but…it did and there was nothing that was going to change that because everyone has a time and it will always come. And that's because death…it's a part of life and you can't have one without the other."

"But it was too soon." Peyton whispered out, tears now flooding from her eyes. "It was…much too soon."

Her teenage self slowly nodded, walked closer to Peyton and hugged her.

"Up until these…p—past few days I had felt as though I was in a good place. That I…was FINALLY at peace with everything after all this time. But then this tumor…it makes me start to see her and I've come to realize that I'm still not okay with it and I don't think that I ever will be able to get over and move on from this like I'm sure everyone is expecting me to do at SOME point."

Young Peyton sighed. "Sawyer was and will always be your first child and…she is the child that you have loved the longest…making her something special. Your real friends and family know that and don't expect you to just 'get over' Sawyer's death and 'move on;' that would be impossible to do anyway."

"So what am I supposed to do then?" Peyton asked through sniffles.

"You will never 'get over it' but you will find a way to learn to live with it." Her younger self pondered momentarily before continuing. "And then once you do that you move not on but FORWARD. Which will all be easier to do if you let it in."

"Let what in?"

"The love." the teen said smiling. "All the love from Lucas, Jack, Kari…Brooke, Haley all of them. You're surrounded by so much love so let it in and use it."

Peyton wiped away her tears and slowly nodded her head.

"You're going to be alright Peyton." her younger self assured. She smiled softly and then vanished.

Peyton slowly made her way over to her bed and laid her head back down on her pillow.

"Sawyer's gone but I…still have so many other people in my life. People who…love me and it's about time I show that love back."

She took in a deep breath, shut her eyes and then drifted off to sleep.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Tree Hill – The Next Morning…_

Peyton shut the passenger's side door and locked arms with Lucas.

"Has Jack been asking questions?" Peyton asked her husband as the two of them headed off toward the front door of their home.

"Yeah but I think Haley has managed to dodge them without making him too scared."

Lucas slowly opened up the front door and the couple made their way into the house and entered into the living room where they found Haley helping Jack do his homework.

"You're home!"

Jack immediately dropped his pencil and math worksheet down on the couch and he, along with Kari, who had managed to wiggle from Haley's grasp, ran over to Peyton and hugged her legs.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, looking up at his mother. "You're not sick are you?"

Peyton squatted down to her little boy's eye level. "How about I take you and your sister into your bedroom and we talk about everything?"

Jack nodded. "Okay."

Peyton mouthed a quick thank-you to Haley, scooped Kari up into her arms, took Jack by the hand and headed toward his bedroom while Lucas walked Haley to the front door.

"Thanks for staying with the kids on such…short notice like that. It really means a lot."

Haley shook her head. "No need to thank me. It wasn't a problem. I'm just glad that Peyton's tumor isn't serious and that she's going to be alright."

"So am I." Lucas said, sighing in relief. "So am I…"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After Lucas had walked Haley out, he made his way down the hall toward his son's room.

He found Peyton sitting down on the bed with Kari in her arms next to Jack. He entered into the bedroom, sat down beside his son, and nodded at his wife.

Peyton took in a deep breath and turned her attention to Jack. "Honey, last night I went to the hospital to…take care of a couple things and while I was there I …fainted and a doctor…when he checked me over to make sure that I was okay…found a tumor in my head. Do you know what that is?"

Jack thought for a minute, but then shook his head no.

"Well a tumor is…something that is growing inside me…in my brain that shouldn't be there and can't stay there."

"Can a doctor take it out?" a worried Jack asked, hopefully.

Peyton nodded. "Yes. A doctor is going to take it out and—"

"How's he going to do that?"

"Well um…through my nose."

Jack eyed his mother skeptically. "Really?"

Peyton nodded.

"Does he…have to take it out at the hospital?"

Peyton nodded again. "Yes, soon I will have to…go to the hospital for the surgery and…I'll be gone for a couple of days but your Dad…he will be here with you and your sister and then before you know it I'll be back…tumor free and a-okay."

"You sure?" asked a still very concerned Jack.

"Yes." Peyton said as reassuringly as she could. "Scout's honor. Now, there's something else I want to talk to you about."

Peyton scooted closer to Jack, took his hand and stared into his blue eyes. "I am SO sorry that I missed your play."

Jack nodded. "It's okay Mom."

Peyton shook her head. "No, it's not. I should have been there for you and…it breaks my heart that I wasn't and that…for these past couple of days now I haven't really been the best mother to you or Kari."

Peyton paused for a moment, in an attempt to maintain her composure, and then continued on. "It's just…this time of year is really hard for me. I've been thinking a—about Sawyer a lot and…h—how much I miss her and wish she were still here with all of us."

"I wish she were still here too." Jack said, very quietly. "I miss her a lot."

"We know you do bud." Lucas said to his son. "We all miss her very much."

"But while…it's okay to miss and remember Sawyer, it's not okay to…forget about the people who are still here and...that's what I have been doing."

Peyton stopped talking once again, took in a deep breath and then continued. "I…I loved and still love your sister so much, but not any more than I love you and Kari. You two are my world and…I need to start proving that to the both of you…MUCH better than I have been…and I will. So Jack I…I really hope that you can…find it in your heart to forgive me for…how I have been treating you."

Jack nodded his little head. "Yes, I forgive you." He then hugged her and Kari.

Peyton sniffled, smiled and hugged him back tightly. "Oh I love you guys so much."

"I love you too." Jack said to her.

"Love you!" Kari shouted out. She then reached her arms out to Lucas. "Daddy!"

Lucas gave his little girl a small smile and joined in on the family group hug.

After a long while they all broke away from the embrace and Peyton directed her attention to Jack. "You have another show this afternoon, right?"

"Right!"

"Well I am going to be there…front row center, okay?"

Jack smiled and nodded.

Peyton then turned her attention to her daughter. "And I think I owe you a story."

Kari's eyes lit up and she jumped out of her mother's arms and scurried out of Jack's room. Lucas chuckled, got up and followed her.

The two of them returned moments later, with Lucas holding Kari and Kari carrying a book which she handed over to Peyton.

"Green Eggs and Ham…good choice."

Peyton opened up the book, laid it down on her lap and looked over at her husband. "Take it away Sam."

Lucas nodded, sat down and began. "I am Sam. I am Sam. Sam I am."

Peyton planted a disgusting look on her face. "That Sam I am! That Sam I am! I do not like that Sam I am!"

Lucas leaned in closer to his wife and asked. "Do you like green eggs and ham?"

"I do not like them Sam I am. I do not like green eggs and ham."

"Would you like them here or there?"

Peyton shook her head. "I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am."

"Would like them in a house? Would you like them with a mouse?"

"I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere! I do not like green eggs and ham! I DO NOT LIKE them Sam I am!"

Kari began giggling and Jack grinned. The couple exchanged a quick look and smiled. Lucas then continued on. "Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox?"

Peyton shook her head. "Not in a box. Not with a fox. Not in a house. Not with a mouse…"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Okay so there it is! So…it looks like that tumor of Peyton's isn't all that serious, though the symptoms of it can sometimes cause headaches, delirium and hallucinations and it appears as though her and Lucas think it was the tumor that caused her to see the little girl she swore was Sawyer. And boy…Peyton had been holding in a lot of anger that she FINALLY let out! Which was good and I think that outburst, probably along with Lucas's words in the previous chapter, caused Peyton to see how she was acting towards Jack and Kari as when she returned home the next morning she apologized to the both of them for being so inattentive and promised that that was going to change. Then there was a nice little family group hug and Peyton and Lucas began animatedly reading Green Eggs and Ham to the kids. A sweet, sentimental chapter. But anyway, crazy unexplainable things are still to come! And as I've said, the next chapter has all ready been written and could be posted at anytime. Tomorrow, perhaps? Days from now? Who knows! It all depends on you guys! If you want me to post it soon, leave a review! – Jasmine **

**Next time…**

**Lucas and Peyton take Jack and Kari to the circus**

**Peyton comes to an unexpected, startling realization**


	6. Enter the Circus

**Enter the Circus**

A/N: Okay so here's the next chapter. I borrowed and altered a small portion of some lyrics from a Christina Aguilera song intro for this update but otherwise it's all me, like usual. Oh and this chapter is all Leyton and…it's pretty short but I have a feeling your still really going to like it! Hopefully! - Jasmine

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Two days later – Charleston – Circus_

A tall, lanky, goofy looking clown with a ton of balloons in his hand walked up to Peyton and Kari and directed his attention to the toddler. "Would you like a balloon?"

Kari lifted her little head up off of her mother's chest and nodded.

The clown smiled and handed her a pink one. "Here you are."

Kari looked up at her balloon and grinned.

Peyton looked down at her daughter. "What do you say Kari?"

"Thank-you!" the little girl happily shouted out.

"You're quite welcome!" the clown then gave his big red nose a little squeeze and went on his way. Just then Lucas and Jack came from around a corner.

"Mom!" Jack yelled out as he ran up to his mother. "Dad and I just saw this guy swallow a sword!"

"You did?!"

Jack nodded. "Yeah! It was so cool! I really want to learn how…"

He let his voice trail off and started focusing his attention to an odd, somewhat creepy looking man shouting from atop a podium, urging a small crowd of people to enter inside a large, mysterious tent.

Jack ran over to him, with Lucas, Peyton and Kari following close behind, and stood listening to the man speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Step right up, step right up! Come closer, you won't believe your eyes when you see what's behind this curtain!"

He waved his arms in front of the red tent curtain. "Witness something you've never SEEN before! HEARD before! DREAMT before! It's one of the most AMAZING things on Earth!"

The man pointed to an elderly woman in the crowd. "Do you want to be WILDLY entertained?!"

He then points to a little brown haired, freckle faced boy. "People to KNOW you're name?!"

"Do you CRAVE fame?!" He asked, pointing to a pretty young auburn haired woman.

The announcer walked up close to the edge of the podium and directed his shifty gray eyes toward Peyton. "Well they say things aren't always what they SEEM to be!"

His words and the man's peculiar eyes caused Peyton to shutter a bit, though she tried her best not to show it.

"Even your GREATEST fantasies!" He exclaimed, jumping about. "You won't believe your EYES! Won't even RECOGNIZE! The wonderment that lies, behind the SHIMMER…and the lights!"

The announcer hopped of the podium and began ushering a couple of people into the tent. "Step right up to see if you can tell what's behind all the smoke and glass!"

"Mom, can we go in!?" a hopeful Jack asked excitedly.

An uneasy Peyton slowly ripped her gaze from the man and onto her son. "S—sure we can…"

She then handed Kari over to Lucas. "I was umm…going to take her to get some cotton candy, can you?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah. You two have fun." He then placed his happy little girl on top of his shoulders and walked off.

"Let's go!" Jack yelled out as he grabbed his mother's hand and began dragging her to the tent opening.

The announcer lifted up the flap and ushered Peyton, Jack, and a few others into the tent.

"Wow this is cool!" Jack exclaimed as he looked around the dark, smoky maze of mirrors. He turned his attention to Peyton. "Try and find me!" The little boy then sprinted off.

Peyton shook her head and sighed. "His running off like that without an adult is a habit that seriously needs to be broken ASAP."

She brushed by a couple of people and began making her way around the complex mirror maze in search of her son.

"Jack!" Peyton shouted out. "Jack, where are—"

Her words were cut off as she ran smack dab into a mirror she thought was an entrance into another part of the maze.

"This place is so freaky." Peyton whispered to herself while rubbing her head. "I'm seeing doubles of everyone and can't tell what's a mirror, what isn't and…"

She let her voice trail off as she caught glimpse of the little Sawyer look-alike through another mirror a few feet away.

"She's not real." Peyton said quietly, closing her eyes. "She is not real."

Peyton opened up her eyes and still saw the little girl, who was giggling and spinning wildly about it. She walked up closer to the mirror and it was while the girl spun around that Peyton caught sight of something on the child's shoulder and gasped.

"She has a…birthmark on her shoulder. B—but Sawyer…didn't."

Peyton began looking around, but could not figure out where this little girl really was, so she redirected her attention back onto the child's reflection in the mirror. While watching the girl, who was now standing still and playing with the pink bracelet on her wrist, she noticed something else that startled her.

"Oh my God…h—her eyes are brown." Peyton whispered out. "Sawyer's were blue…"

She stood dumbfounded for a long while before she began making her way through the maze again and as she turned a corner she tripped over something that was lying on the ground and fell down.

She slowly stood up and dusted off her white tank top and jean shorts.

Peyton looked down to see what she had tripped over and gasped in fright when she saw the pink bracelet on the floor.

"It's her bracelet…" She said quietly, picking it up and tracing her fingers over the pink, plastic, star stringed bracelet.

Peyton's eyes widened in bewilderment. "I…I've really been seeing this girl! I…I thought she was Sawyer and she obviously isn't but…she is real!"

She stopped talking to herself for a moment and then resumed. "Aside from the eyes and that small birthmark they are nearly identical in appearance to each other. But how…how in the world is it possible for some random little girl to look SO much like MY little girl, but not be?"

Peyton stood puzzled, lost in thought for a minute until those thoughts of hers were interrupted by the pitter patter of little feet. She glanced over to her left and saw Jack running towards her.

"Jack!" Peyton exclaimed. She quickly pocketed the bracelet and bent down to her son's eyelevel. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"I was just running around the maze…" he said innocently. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

Peyton sighed and shook her head. "No, but…I…I didn't know where you were and I got scared because the last thing I would ever want to do is lose you. So please…don't run off like that again, okay?"

"Okay."

Peyton gave him a small smile and took his hand. "Alright. Now, how about we head out of here and find your Dad and Kari?"

Jack nodded and the two made their way through the complicated mirror maze toward the exit with Peyton looking around the entire time, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl, but didn't.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Kari, you gotta hold on tighter to that fudge sickle or else it's going to—"

Just then Kari dropped her chocolate fudge sickle on Peyton's lap.

"Fall on my lap."

Peyton sighed and handed a teary-eyed Kari over to Lucas. "Can you get her another one while I go to the bathroom and clean myself up?"

Lucas nodded. "That I can do."

She picked up the messy fudge sickle from off of her lap, tossed it into a near by trash can, stood up and kissed Kari on the cheek. "It's okay honey. Daddy's going to get you another one."

Lucas shifted Kari into his left arm, took Jack by the hand and the trio headed off toward one of the many ice cream stands while Peyton hurried off toward the closest bathroom.

Once she reached it she entered inside, grabbed a couple of paper towels, wet them a bit in the sink and wiped off her shorts as best as she could.

Once she finished, Peyton threw the paper towels out and exited the bathroom.

As she looked around for Lucas and the kids she once again spotted the look-alike little girl from afar running about.

Peyton made her way through the many circus goers toward the little girl and her heart nearly stopped when she heard the child scream out "Mommy!" and run into the arms of a very familiar looking blonde woman wearing her own white tank top and jean shorts.

Peyton's jaw dropped. "H—her…mother has my face! How come…her mother has my FACE?!"

Her eyes began to water. "This…this can't be!" She closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.

After a minute or so Peyton opened her eyes back up and just as she did so the little girl looked from over the shoulder of her mother, who now had her back turned to Peyton and was busy chatting away on her cell, and caught sight of Peyton. She widened her brown eyes and opened up her mouth in shock.

Peyton and the little girl locked eyes for a long while before a large crowd of people stormed in front of Peyton, blocking her view of the mother and daughter.

She tried her best to make her way through the crowd and once she finally did she saw that her double and the little girl were nowhere to be found.

An extremely rattled Peyton stood silently and very still for a long while. She then reached into her pocket, pulled out the bracelet and stared down at it and began whispering to herself. "Either I'm sicker than I thought…COMPLETELY off my rocker or...I've been chasing after the…d—daughter of my…my…twin?"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Okay so there it is! I hope you all liked it! So…Lucas and Peyton decide to take the kids to this circus/carnival thing in ****Charleston****. The creepy announcer captivated Jack, making him extremely eager to enter into the mysterious tent. Though not all that eager about him or the tent, an uneasy Peyton goes in for Jack. Once inside the two realize that it's a dark, freaky, complex mirror maze. Jack likes to run off and he does just that and as Peyton tries to find him she becomes severely taken aback by all the mirrors and doubles she sees. Then once again Peyton catches a glimpse of the look-alike in one of the mirrors. She tries to shrug it off, thinking that its probably just her tumor causing her to see things again but after Peyton notices that this little girl has an unfamiliar birthmark on her shoulder, brown eyes and then later tripping over the child's bracelet she realizes that this girl has to be real. She also realizes while this kid obviously can't be Sawyer, she still looks a lot like her, nearly identical and she can't fathom how it's possible for some random girl to look so much like her dead daughter. Not until Peyton sees the child with her mother does she make the assumption that the reason the girl looks so much like her mini me daughter Sawyer is because she's the mini version of her own mother…a woman who looks EXACTLY like Peyton! Right down to the way she was dressed! So what the heck is going on? Does Peyton have a twin? Is that why the little girl looked so shocked when she catches Peyton staring at her first at the park and then at the circus? How does the brown-haired guy the little one is always with fit in? Is Peyton even really seeing what she thinks she sees? Could her mind just be putting her and Sawyer's face on a random mother-daughter duo, making her believe this twin thing when that's really not the case at all? I mean, Peyton can't really be a twin can she? Ellie or her Dad (Larry) would have told her, right? Hmmm. So anyways…please review! I greatly appreciate all the feedback! Oh and here are some previews…all of which are relevant to the plot in some way, though it might not be that obvious at this point in time.**

**Things still to come…**

**Peyton is angry that Lucas won't believe her**

**Larry reveals shocking, yet discouraging news to Peyton**

**Nathan finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place**

**Julian begins casting for a new film**


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